Executive Briefings

Published January 2009

Talented CLOs Hit the Bull's Eye

Sandra Ford Walston

Hitting the bull’s-eye means being on target, but have you ever wondered where the term comes from? In the 17th century, English longbow yeomen often held archery practice immediately after church services, the only time when many of the archers could gather. A common target was the white skull of a bull, and the greatest skill could be illustrated by getting a “bull’s eye.”

Hitting the target is one thing, but consistently putting arrows in the bull’s-eye requires enormous practice. A high level of competence requires disciplined training to develop a certain set of skills.

Many people intuitively recognize their target but distrust their vision and aim in the wrong direction. Aristotle said, “Courage is the first of human virtues because it makes all the other virtues possible.” Failure to aim at the right target represents a failure of courage.

By acting with courage, chief learning officers take aim at the true target of their work and begin to hit the bull’s-eye with ease, with both personal and organizational implications.

Are You Off Target?
A recent Gallup poll found that job satisfaction has steadily declined from nearly 60 percent in 1995, to just 50 percent in 2004. Developing courage and the skills that manifest courage at work will help anyone struggling with a lack of self-contentment.

Dorie McCubbrey knows about getting off target. At the encouragement of guidance counselors and family, she excelled academically and earned a doctorate in bioengineering. Despite a lack of passion for her work, she was reluctant to change career paths, and in this state of unhappiness, she developed a severe eating disorder.

“My passion finally emerged while I was being treated for my eating disorder,” she said. “It became clear that my mission was to help others overcome their eating disorders.”

Turning down a six-figure salary, McCubbrey returned to college to earn her counseling degree. It took years for McCubbrey to find the courage to act with authenticity and originality. Sadly, there’s no magic formula for originality. Anyone can shoot arrows, but few are enthused to get on target. This is where the CLO can step in and help.

Getting Back to the Center
Developing courage consciousness is a process. Exploring and understanding courage takes time and dedication, just like being an archer who consistently hits the bull’s-eye.

Examine personal courage by asking a few simple questions:

Would I stay in a job I hate or don’t believe in?
Am I inclined to secure my physical safety despite great inconvenience?
Would I hide a mistake because I need my job?
Am I prone to selling my soul and I know it?

Honestly answering these questions allows you to assess courage and its correlation to the number of missed shots.

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