Getting Perspective

Nothing gives perspective to daily problems as effectively as removal from daily problems. It is called vacation. While we usually think of vacation as a break from the stress of work, vacations can be much more than mere rest. Of course, one should never scoff at getting rest!

A really good vacation will bring you back with new perspective - a fresh and different way of looking at old problems and issues. Whether vacations are relaxing or full of effort (some people climb mountains for fun) the fresh perspective is always a by-product of a good vacation.

Before leaving on vacation - for any period of time - there is the fanatical clear-the-desk phenomenon during which all things become terribly important and absolutely must be dealt with before walking out the door. Every item on the to-do list rises to monumental significance. There are ads to review, disclosures to correct, training to schedule, and reports to write.

All of these work details must be taken care of while negotiating with hotels, airlines, relatives, and any other entities or parties involved in or affected by the vacation. At this point, it may not seem worth the effort. It may even be tempting to cancel.

Our advice is: hang in there and get out of town. It is worth it. When you come back, things will seem different. You may even be able to laugh at the problems on your desk which now seem minor and manageable.

What causes this change? First, things didn't blow up while you were away. Those little problems sat right there and waited for you. Since they didn't blow up, they must not have been so bad.

But the big reason is that you actually see things differently after spending time somewhere else. Sometimes, seeing a different place or even a different part of the world provides perspective and new meaning to what we do and why we do it.

Experiencing a different culture sheds light on our own values. Experiences, both positive and negative, provide new ways to look at our actions. And, of course, when one travels, one is the consumer - for better or for worse. Being tricked by someone in a foreign market or given mis-information by someone pretending not to speak English provides first-hand experience of deceptive trade practices.

And sometimes the sightseeing alone is enough to provide a new view of what is important. On my recent vacation, I visited Pompeii. The excavations and restorations there are extensive and provide an intriguing view of life more than 2000 years ago. The city of Pompeii was teeming with stores, bars, meetings, athletic events, and politics. There were probably even banks of some sort. Now, after Vesuvius, only the skeleton of the city remains.

It is an experience that cannot be described to look upon the remains of a city that once held 20,000 people going about their lives and realize that it was all destroyed in a matter of minutes or hours. You cannot help but wonder how the survivors of the volcano looked back upon their lives. You cannot help but think about what really matters.

And this is how you can get a fresh perspective on compliance. It is one thing to look at compliance as regulatory burden, something the government makes us do. But we can also look at compliance as what is fair and what is right. It is treating customers with respect, providing customers with useful information, and making fair deals. Seen this way, compliance is what enables us to look back - hopefully without a disaster such as a volcanic eruption or a tsunami - and feel that we have done well.

Copyright © 2005 Compliance Action. Originally appeared in Compliance Action, Vol. 10, No. 2, 2/05