You’re not alone. Everyone is beginning to notice the rocks and we can use them to guide our strategy.
Last week, I saw a picture of a large body of water with rocks appearing above the surface. Two months ago this image would have had smooth water on top. We wouldn’t have known what was beneath. These past two weeks – rocks have surfaced. Leaders are beginning to wonder why they hadn’t noticed that processes weren’t in place. Our stress has been heightened, and now, so is the stress of our teams.
Similar realizations and conversations are happening everywhere. Why wasn’t this taken care of before now? How could we have missed this because now we really need it?
The thing is – the rocks were always beneath the surface. We just couldn’t see them. Our revenues and our future growth predictions kept us from questioning other things because we were focused on keeping up – moving business growth forward.
We have to remember that sudden shifts in our focus and stress responses can seem like we are micromanaging our employees. They were focused on moving our prior initiatives forward – they knew there were gaps – and they were focused on moving our prior initiatives forward.
Rather than getting frustrated with our teams, as leaders, we can:
One
Ask for their perspective. They are seeing things that we didn’t have time to see while we were focusing on the prior strategy.
Two
Ask them to list pain points that they have been aware of for years. Business as usual has been turned upside down. Now is the time to consider improving things that “have always been done this way.”
Three
Let’s take time to listen. When we listen, creativity has space to flourish.
This crisis has forced us to see where we have been missing the mark. It has compelled me, as a business owner, to think about how our team can serve our clients even better. We have an opportunity to strategize even greater solutions.
Now is the time to reflect, and, in our reflecting, notice that we have a plan. Now is the time to proceed with new insights! We can see the rocks!
Crisis can be our friend. It will unveil whatever is beneath the surface and allow us to strategize our path forward. This is my perspective – what one are you holding?
