I live in Indiana. It’s where I was born and it is now where I am raising my family. It is a great place to live and work…and I’m proud to be called a Hoosier. Up until a few years ago, most of the state of Indiana did not observe Daylight Saving Time (DST). So, part of the year, we would be on Eastern Time and part of the year, we would be on Central Time. It made it weird to interact with folks in other states and it over-complicated figuring out when your favorite TV shows were coming on.
DST came with quite a bit of resistance and drama. There were many people who voiced concern over it and were altogether opposed to it. To this day, there are a number of people who will continue to tell all of the reasons they don’t like it (mostly through posts on Facebook). But, I am someone who has always been in favor of it. I lived in Ohio and Colorado for a short time and experienced the benefits that come with DST.
More than just personal reasons, here are 3 reasons I like DST as a leader – and why I think you should too:
1. It causes me, twice per year, to think about how I am spending my time. I either ‘lose’ an hour or I ‘gain’ an hour through this process. Regardless of the net gain or loss, I find myself on the weekends when DST is changed, thinking about things like getting up earlier to get things done or how productive I’m being during the day. It also causes me as a parent to consider the time I’m spending with my kids because DST can rock the world of kids, especially those under the age of 6.
2. It keeps me in tune with the affects of change in our lives. DST causes us to ‘change’ twice a year. As a leader, we can be the instigators of change and sometimes we forget the affect change has on our lives. Even though it is ‘only’ an hour, DST really seems to affect the way people work, think, and feel. Imagine some of the change that you are proposing right now and how much more it could impact those that you lead.
3. Although it is a many-decade old thing, DST is a reminder of innovation and its importance. At the core of DST is the notion of taking advantage, to a fuller degree, the light of the day. Its innovation in its clearest form. It helps me think about the ways that I am innovating (or not innovating) to leverage some of the best things this world has to offer – people, technology, sunlight, or whatever. DST teaches me that Innovation leads to Maximization.
So there it is. I like DST because it causes me to consider how I am spending my time, it keeps me in tune with the affects of change in our lives, and it helps me think about innovation.
What are your thoughts about DST? Are you able to see leadership lessons in moments like theses? what else would you add to this list?
I had a mentor of mine challenge me to document my day and what I was spending my time on. It was definatley an eye opener. He explained that we are busy but so to are the ants. What are we busy doing? Why should one hour effect our livesso negatively? As leaders and christians we have to see an opportunity to grow in everything we do, even DLS!! Keep up the great work! People need challenged to think differently.
Great stuff Claire! Thanks for posting!!