Blue Skys

Sometimes in business we used the term, ‘Blue Sky”. Some people used it to describe when teams would think creatively about new ideas and opportunities. In other cases, ‘Blue Sky’ meant the value of a company above all assets and ‘goodwill’. In other words, on paper, the company was worth one amount but the seller wanted a lot of ‘blue sky’ to make it appetizing enough to sell.

When I think of ‘blue sky’ a couple of memories come to mind.

The first was back in 1976. It was the fall and my Father and I were taking a plane trip to tour Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. I was 18 and had never been on a plane before. He gave me the window seat. I remember being in awe as we climbed through the clouds and into the clear, blue skies above. It felt like we could see forever. I wondered if heaven was nearby! It was so majestic and beautiful. It seemed to go on forever. Who would have guessed that 40+ years later, I would have flown over 3 million miles? But even after all of that flying, I still love seeing those picturesque blue skies every time I fly.

The second occurred when we lived in Franklin, TN. My children were still small and I remember coming home from work in my suit and tie. I pulled into the cul-de-sac only to spot our two little ones lying down on the hill on our house next to the garage. They were looking straight up at the sky. They were about five and six years old and had such great imaginations. I took off my jacket, loosened my tie and climbed down on the wet ground next to them and looked up. I saw low, puffy clouds as each child described what they saw in the clouds. (Sometimes a dinosaur, sometimes a pirate’s ship and most of the time a dog-they wanted a dog, badly). I remember pointing out the blue sky. We discussed how never-ending it was and that even though we have storms from time to time, the blue skies always come back. (Except if you go to college in Pittsburgh in the winter when we only saw blue skies from April-October). In any case, the blue skies always return, no matter how badly it storms.

In life and in business, I have found that it so easy to focus on the storms. Most of the time, the storms take up all of our time and attention. Sickness, money issues, car and house emergencies, jobs and relationships all can be storms. At work, delayed cash, resignations, lawsuits, EEOC and Workers’ Comp matters can steal most of our attention.

But I found that it was my job to keep everyone focused on the immeasurable, unsupported opportunities of blue skies. My family and staff had to know that these storms were temporary and that as soon as possible we needed to look for and think about the blue skies again. They are right there; we just need to keep our eyes focused on the unlimited possibilities.

Thanks for reading this.

With a goal to “help the next one in line”, Glen Cavallo, a 30+ year healthcare executive has chosen to share the many lessons he has learned with others. Glen does this by serving as a coach/advisor to leaders at all levels of organizations, as a board member and as he presents inspirational speeches at regional, national, annual and awards meetings.