Characters in (good) movies have an arc. An arc simply means the character starts out one way and then, in reaction to experience, changes. The key to an arc is the concept of change.
As it goes for fictitious characters, so it goes for us. Each of us is on an arc of some kind. None of us will remain the same. Feels like it should be common sense, but many of us, in our leadership roles, mess it up.
Seeking the kind of comfort that comes from stability, we unconsciously hold our team members and our team in static state. Han Solo in the Carbonite. But it never has worked and never will. Each of us is on an arc.
The better response? Consciously work with each team member to discover what they see as their arc. What do the years ahead look like? What does success look like? What is motivating them? When we truly understand the concept of arc, we can better tune the work over time so it matches up with their journey.
Yeah, it’s a lot of ongoing work, but that’s kind of the deal, isn’t it? #leadership
