The wisdom of 'Balance'

Having Jaden with us is amazing. He's now nearing three and its so much fun watching him grow and take on new attitudes that just pop up overnight. He's grown more perceptive, seems to exhibit a greater streak of independence and has a mind of his own. Our old tricks fall flat.

Parenting is such a responsibility and I know I will mess up at times. What I know will get the act right is steeped in what I call the 'wisdom of balance'. The act of getting the 'proportion' right. Let me explain. As a parent the question that will pose difficulty is not one where I have to choose between a Yes or a No. That dichotomy is easy to handle. For example, if the question is, 'Should Jaden learn to be disciplined, say in his sleep habits?, the answer is pretty easy. Its a Yes. 'Should he learn his thank yous and pleases?', again, its a Yes. So, on an issue of discipline, the answer is always a Yes. But the more difficult question, that calls for what I call the wisdom of balance is, 'How much of discipline?' In what proportion?

'Should he always be bound by rules?' The answer is No. Therefore the difficult issue is to find a balance between letting him 'free' vis-a-vis subjecting him to 'restrictions'. 'How much of restriction, how much of freedom?' If I can get that proportion right, I can get parenting right.

Its the wisdom of balance.

In Marketing too, the difficult question is not, 'Should I or shouldn't I?'. Its 'How much?'

'Should I advertise?' Yes. But how much of my communication budget should go into advertising? Fifty percent? Forty, perhaps? Should I automate my service delivery? Yes. How much of it should be automated and how much should retain the personal touch? Difficult one. If there's a mess up on the shop floor, should I address the issue? Of course, yes. But how harsh must I be? Too harsh, and I affect employee morale, too lenient, and I am setting the place up for another mess up.

So you see, the 'balance' is the key. Its the wisdom of balance that's behind every successful decision.

Get the 'balance' right, you get the act right!

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