Whenever I have been stuck (and I am stuck right now, hence this post), it’s because there is something, or multiple somethings, that I don’t know how to do. Invariably when stuck-ness happens, I am moving along whatever path just fine, then at some point I run into a smoke screen. The path forward is obscured, and I am not sure what to do next. Has this ever happened to you? And since I have been ruthlessly programmed by modern life that all mistakes are bad(!), my natural inclination is to stop until the fog lifts. Sometimes the fog never lifts and I turn around and go back the way I came. Sometimes I get an idea and some way forward starts to reveal itself. I think the point I am trying to make (sorry, it’s mainly for my own benefit) is that just because something is unclear in the moment doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Sometimes we have to sit with problems longer than is comfortable to work out the eventual solution. Yeah, it’s easier to turn around and go back, but we have already come this far. Who knows what ideas are just beyond the horizon.
With your teams, don’t get out of the way, do this instead
"Get out of the way!" I often hear some version of this sentiment when talking about building a culture to incentivize high performance teams. "You have to find the right people, equip them, and then get out of the way." People who talk about getting out of the way...