Falling Leaves: What No Longer Serves Its Purpose?
Falling Leaves: What No Longer Serves Its Purpose?
Several months ago, in mid-July, I noticed an untimely phenomenon in our backyard. A tree that towered high above our two-story home began dropping brown, dead leaves. And while the annual cycle of falling leaves wasn’t uncommon, we were used to it happening in October and November instead.
But the tree had been struggling for a while, and this was the signal that it was truly dead. After dropping all its leaves and some small branches, we finally called a tree service to cut it down and remove it. They had a very efficient process to sever the branches, then chop the trunk, cart away the wood, and even grind the stump with the dirt into the ground. (more…)
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How exciting! You’re about to start your new role — a promotion, a new organization, a new team. You know the first 3 to 6 months will be intense as you get your bearings and try to figure out your new environment. And if your work responsibilities are remote or hybrid, you’ll have to employ some different strategies to acclimate to the position.
“What if we’re wrong?” That was the question a senior leader asked his CEO as they were discussing business strategies and plans. “We probably are,” she replied, “but let’s move forward nonetheless.”
Pat arrived at the office early. She hadn’t slept well the night before because she was wrestling with an important decision that needed to be made in her Executive Committee meeting that morning. They had been evaluating the development and launch of a new product for the past six months. Today they needed to make a final decision on whether they were going to move forward. The discussions had been thorough yet difficult with wide ranging opinions on what they should do. There was significant risk associated with the launch, but the potential reward could be a greatly improved market share. As CEO, she needed everyone to make a full commitment to the decision, and while the objective analysis appeared to lead the team to adopt it, a number of other issues had arisen, and there was a LOT of debate. 
Imagine that you’ve just joined a new organization or department or been appointed to lead a significant new project. You’re excited about your new role and have been given a charge by your new leader regarding specific outcomes and metrics to achieve. You took some time to evaluate the challenge ahead and get to know the team, and you’re ready to make some “quick wins.” There are obvious areas for improvement that will impact organizational metrics favorably. As you meet with your colleagues and team members to introduce your plans, their responses are muted. They don’t seem to appreciate the value of these initiatives. You continue to meet with key people one-on-one to gain their support and probe for issues, but you keep hitting a wall filled with excuses, pushback and noncommitment. What’s wrong? You’ve entered a “no wake zone.” 
Think about a time when you’ve been in the midst of an important challenge, working on a major project or slogging through solving a pervasive problem. Then you hit a wall. Your burst of energy and creativity has dissipated. Your initial accelerated progress has slowed to a snail’s pace. You and your team are stuck and find it difficult to break through to the next level of innovation and advancement. How do you move forward? You need a new perspective. You need to look at the challenge from a different angle, using a different lens, with a fresh set of eyes.