08 Jul The Middle
I define ‘the middle’ as a time of going from one condition to another when you know that change is needed, the present way could be better, but you are not really certain what the end result should or will look like. It can be a very troubling time, if you let it. I know that first hand and you probably do too especially with COVID 19 still causing so much chaos. We have all been in the middle, but it can be very different.
I have spoken to many CEO’s over the last few months who are absolutely amazed at the speed in which their teams have successfully adjusted and flexed in order to successfully meet new business demands triggered by the COVID 19 pandemic. They are experiencing crazy positive results like more revenue, tighter systems, and new innovative practices that just 6months ago would have been scoffed at. It is all because they took advantage of the time in ‘the middle’. They benefitted from the time spent in that special place where the old way wasn’t working anymore and the new way was not yet imagined. A time when making progress is more important than perfection. A time when the unimaginable becomes the ordinary.
So how do you, as a leader, capitalize on the wonderful energy, innovation and creativity that can come from being in ‘the middle’. You go back to basics. When you entered your role you were in ‘the middle’. You assessed what you were getting into and then imagined what a better future would look like. You rallied your team with your new ideas because you knew you could never do it alone. You took that vision of a better future and presented it to your team for their input, their ideas and ultimately their buy in. Once they were all in alignment you moved on with a plan to achieve that new and better future.
Many might erroneously name it a time of transition. And that is where I would put up the caution flag. Yes, transition is a change, a passing from one state to another. But there is nothing passive about what the successful CEO’s I interviewed experienced. Their time in the middle, though brimming with uncertainty, was filled with intention, focus, direction and action.
If you are a leader in ‘the middle’ right now, follow the exact same process. Use this time to intentionally focus on what a better future could look like. Then purposefully gather your team in person, on zoom or as a hybrid of both and present your vision, get their input and make that vision even better. Once you have their buy in, commit to a specific action plan and immediately begin to execute. That is what helps you to prosper in the middle and achieve results you could never have imagined before.
Need help? Then contact me at kiki@PeakPerformanceLeader.com. I can take you through the proven Work of Leaders VAE process which helps you navigate ‘the middle’. It will guide you and your teams to create a vision, build alignment for that vision and strategize how to bring that vision to fruition with an action plan that you can immediately implement. Let us use the exact middle of 2020, where we are right now, to be the beginning of a bright and wonderful future.
Always striving to give you my best,
– Kiki