“This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
It was the summer before my Freshman year in high school. I had a friend who was on the school volleyball team, and I decided that I was going to try out for the team that year. I diligently practiced my volleyball skills every day that summer. I became proficient at setting, bumping and overhead serving. The first day of try outs was focused on running drills with the basic volleyball skill sets, and I had people talking about how good I was. However, the next couple of days of tryouts involved playing scrimmages, and I floundered. I never practiced that summer playing with a team.
I didn’t make the volleyball team, but I did learn a big lesson. I can only get so far on the success of my individual talent and skills. To reach a greater vision, it often involves a team of people and knowing how to play well with others.
I often see this applied in organizations. Leaders have this big picture of success. They know what they want to happen. They work diligently, and their strategy creates a demand for their services. But this time of great success, also becomes a time of great crisis. What has worked in the past can’t work now in a new situation. They must grow their leadership and grow people to reach a greater vision.
Intentionally Beware of Success
Success is exciting and positive, but to maintain it involves change. This is often where we can get stuck. We like soaking in the limelight of success and become blind to the work needed to maintain it. Change is one of the most critical components to maintaining success.
However, change can also create resistance because we don’t like getting pushed out of our comfort zones. First, as a leader you need to reflect about yourself. How does your leadership need to grow with the organization? Be careful. This is often where I see leaders having blind spots about themselves. You may need to talk to mentors, colleagues or a coach to get a clear perspective. If you don’t grow yourself as a leader, the organization won’t grow.
Intentionally Cast Vision with Resources of Hope
You also need to be aware of the growth of the people on your team. Maybe the role they were in will require a new set of leadership skills. You will have to assess if they have the strengths to do what the position requires. They will also need training and coaching in the new skill sets. Unfortunately, I see this all the time, where people are moved to positions of greater responsibility, but not given the training needed to know how to succeed in the new position. They are then set up for failure because all they know are the skills from their past (which may have made them successful) but won’t work in the current position.
Recently I was talking with a leader of an organization, which has experienced major growth. She was struggling and frustrated with a team member’s attitude and resistance, which was also impacting the whole team. As we explored the issue, it became clear that with the growth of the organization, the needs from the role of the position had changed, and the person was very resistant to the change. We discussed that with these changes, we must be intentional to continually cast the vision of why the changes are needed for the betterment of the mission. But with that also provide the solution of resources so the person can grow. It is also being intentional to engage with the person if the position is not the right fit and explore other options of another position or the person leaving.
Intentionally Anticipate Growth
If you are growing and changing, it is a sign of life. So, celebrate the upside of growth and change. With that, be intentional to continually anticipate the need for growth. How is your industry going to be changed by the new needs of the world of tomorrow? How can your mission have greater impact?
Another way to anticipate growth is by being aware of where your people have a passion to grow their strengths and skill sets in relation to the mission. This could be an indicator of a future growth spot in the organization. I know a leader who uses employee potential as a strategy component in planning the organization’s growth.
Notice how I have used the word “intentional” throughout this article. Being intentional is often where we slip up in organizational change. Things may be growing so fast that we make strategic decisions and actions quickly but are not intentional in how we implement them. Success involves people and working well with people involves being intentional.