Tag: fear

Preparing change

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Change is weird.

When all is calm, we are alright, we feel safe and secure, even a tiny bit of it makes us freak out. We want to maintain control, we want routine, we want more of what is already working. And we want to pretend it will work forever.

When we are in the middle of a storm, instead. When we have problems, we feel discomfort, when we are not even sure that what we are doing is what we want, then we tend to seek it as a panacea. We go after new things, forgetting what we have achieved, and pretend the exact same problems, discomfort, uncertainty will not happen again. No matter where we end up.

There is value in preparing when things are quiet. Incrementally changing our habits, spending time seeking within, adding a small new piece every day. So when the storm hits, we are ready to welcome it, stay with it, learn from it.

Take control of change. It will serve you well.

From the top

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There are companies where it is normal to talk about mistakes and failures, and there are companies where all you hear is success, success, success.

Of course, the latter still make mistakes. It’s just that their culture makes it very difficult to go out there and say: “here, I have done this, and I was wrong”. So, mistakes are repeated over time. People feel stuck, learning is at a minimum, frustration rises.

Fortunately, there is something very concrete that leaders can do. They can share their own failures as learning opportunity for their own group.

It always starts from the top.

Repeat

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Getting in a practice of doing makes you fall in love. With the comfort, with the routine, with the known, with the already done.

You can nurture that relationship for a while. It’s a way to build stronger foundations and reliable habits. But at some point you have to say goodbye as you move on to the next stage. Not too far away, still close to the practice. Forward.

Do. Over and over again. Then stop, assess the situation, see if you are where you are supposed to be. And take a step in the right direction.

Repeat.

In context

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In it’s most popular form, Goodhart’s law states that when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.

You do not have a healthy company because your revenue increases year after year. Revenue is just one measure of the health of a company, and it should be put in context.

You do not have a great place to work because your engagement score says so. Engagement score is just one measure of how your employees feel, and it should be put in context.

You do not have a terrific team because they meet their targets quarter after quarter. Numbers are just one measure of how well your team is doing, and they should be put in context.

You do not have a successful campaign because you are getting clicks. Clicks are just one measure of the success of a campaign, and they should be put in context.

The point is, measures are easy to game, and the more you put them at the center of every conversation, the more people will be inclined to game them.

It takes time and effort to take the whole picture into consideration. It takes awareness, it takes courage, it takes honesty. It is the only way you can truly assess how you are doing and make adjustments, so that you don’t wake up one day in a place where you had never wanted to go.

Find your pace

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When your breath is short, your legs heavy, your mind numb, your motivation low, there is really no reason why you should muscle through the situation.

The best thing you can do is slow down, stop even, take a few deep breaths, and find your own pace.

There is nothing more important than you living your life at a pace you can sustain. Not even an olympic medal.