Look around you. What do you see? If you were asked to be a witness at a trial, would you be able to remember details and conditions?
One of the qualities successful people from all walks of life have is a keen sense of observation.
Perhaps you remember the story of the two streakers who interrupted a New York Yankees baseball game when Yogi Berra was the catcher for the Yankees. In the bottom of the ninth inning, two young people suddenly ran onto the field stark naked, slid into home plate and then ran off again.
Asked later if the streakers were boys or girls, Yogi replied, "I don't know. They were wearing bags over their heads."
Most people are easily distracted and not aware of what is going on around them. Being a keen observer is very important in life.
Perhaps one of the most famous "observers" in history is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes character.
Dr. Joseph Bell was the physician said to be the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes. Doyle was particularly interested in Bell's emphasis on the importance of close observation in making a diagnosis.
Bell told the story of a famous surgeon who used to tell his students that a doctor needed two abilities: freedom from nausea and the power of keen observation. One day he poured kerosene, castor oil and mustard into a little cup. He dipped a finger into the foul liquid and then sucked his finger. He passed the cup around to every student in the class and asked them to do the same. Reluctantly, the students did as the professor requested.
After all the students had dipped into the vile liquid, the professor remarked to the class: "I am afraid that not one of you used your powers of observation. The finger I put into the cup was not the same one that I stuck in my mouth."
Observation has practical applications in business, according to a newsletter from the Royal Bank of Canada: a businessperson being able to "size up a situation accurately and quickly; an engineer who can scan a factory floor and notice key aspects of workflow; a sales representative who can tell how best to approach a person after a glance at the desk ... An effective businessperson sees what others overlook, whether in a production line, an administrative routine, or a balance sheet."
Good observers filter out preconceptions, prejudices and cultural biases so that they see things as they are, not just as they want them to be.
An old lion realized he'd have to give up the title of king of all beasts. With failing eyesight, he grew dizzy from hunger and couldn't even muster the energy to roar. So he devised a plan to fill his belly.
He limped back to his den where he collapsed, feigning grave injury and illness. One by one, the animals of the forest came to pay their respects. And one by one, they disappeared as the lazy lion licked away any evidence of their visits.
But when the fox came to visit, he maintained a cautious distance outside the lion's cave.
"Who is that I hear stirring about?" whispered the lion.
"It is I," said the fox.
"Come closer, friend, for I can barely see you."
"No," said the fox. "Some distance between us is best. I see many footprints leading into your den, but none leaving."
The lion roared in anger, the fox was hailed as a hero, and the animals of the forest learned a valuable lesson: Those who are wise and observant learn from the mistakes of others.
Mackay's Moral: If what you see is what you get, make sure you're looking closely.
Harvey Mackay is the author of the New York Times best-seller "Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive." To send him a question or comment, go to
tulsaworld.com/mackayfeedback.
Original Print Headline: Observation a powerful skill
Column - Harvey MacKay
No one ever accused Larry Winget of mincing words. Larry, who is often referred to as the Pitbull of Personal Development, wouldn't take kindly to it anyway.
I WILL GO to the ends of the earth to find ways to improve communication and salesmanship, so I was delighted to be invited to Israel in July to be briefed by the creme-de-la-creme of Israel's intelligence community.
