This weekend, we watched the Emmy award winning HBO film ‘Temple Grandin’. The film, about a young autistic woman succeeding and becoming a force in her field, inspired me to learn more about her.  This quote from a Q&A about her book  ‘Animals Make Us Human’ perfectly points out why it’s so important to take time to move away from the desk.

“I’m an implementer. Somebody has to work on implementing things. I want to continue working with people on practical guidelines that will result in improvements….. I want things I can measure. Too often we’ve got our best and brightest going into policy, and they haven’t done anything practical. All I can say is, whatever field you’re in, whether it is animals or something else, you need to get out in the field and find out what’s going on in the trenches, so that you don’t make policies that might have unintended, bad consequences. Get away from the lobbyists, get away from all that, get out and visit farms, visit ranchers, because with a lot of issues, the truth is somewhere in the middle.”

When you move away from the desk you get a clearer view of what needs to be done and become more effective.

I’m always surprised where I find inspiration when I keep a receptive mind to listening and learning.

Thanks Dr. Grandin.

– Don Kincaid