Tag Archives: new chapter

Letting Go

Posted on by
Reply

Keep Calm and Let Go

Tis the season of kids heading back to school, starting college and embarking on new beginnings. My heart goes out to friends who are sending a child off to live on their own for the first time. Even though it is an exciting time, and you want this experience for them, the fear of the unknown and the sadness of closing a chapter can lead to quite an emotional stew in the hearts of parents.

Letting go is hard. And not just with our children. It is no less difficult for organizations to let go of their “babies” . . . programs and services for which they have such fond memories. The difference is, those programs and the people in them usually aren’t clamoring to move on to the next phase like our children are. No, in organizations it’s the leader’s responsibility to decide it is time to embark on a new chapter. And that emotional stew I mentioned parents experiencing . . . yep, leaders get it in spades. Unfortunately, in some cases, leaders never take that step toward new possibilities because of how painful it is to move beyond what they have known, and their organizations suffer as a result.

Maybe it’s time to reframe this whole letting go thing. Maybe rather than mourn the loss of what has been, we need to celebrate the journey that has brought us to the point that we are ready to take the next step. Closing the door on a chapter doesn’t mean it wasn’t important or valuable in shaping the organization and moving it forward. It simply means the organization has grown to the point that it is ready to take the next step, and that’s a good thing.

I serve an organization that has been around since 1853. Rest assured, we look quite different today than we did 163 years ago, but the values this organization was built on are still alive and well in our work today. We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us and honor what they accomplished, not by never changing but by taking advantage of the amazing opportunities that have resulted from their efforts.

As a parent, we’re a bit sad when our kids spread their wings and fly, but that’s what kids are supposed to do. That’s what organizations are supposed to do too. Even amid the challenges and chaos and uncertainty of the world today, opportunities abound for your organization. You can’t reach for the future when you are clutching to the past . . . maybe it’s time to take a deep breath and let go.

Don’t be Afraid to Turn the Page

Posted on by
Reply

Open book

Sometimes the hardest time, and yet perhaps the most important time, to make a change is when you are starting to feel really comfortable. Your team is firmly in place, you are making progress in extending your mission reach . . . sure you have the typical day-to-day drama, but overall it feels like pretty smooth sailing . . . why in the world would you want to change that?

Quite simply, because change is inevitable. Either you make it, or someone else will make it for you. Somehow over the years, change has gotten a bad rap. Sure it is uncomfortable for a period of time, but if you as a leader have focused your energy on building a clear vision and strong organizational capacity, change is what will lead your organization to exciting new chapters.

Over the course of the last year, we have had several mid and senior level leaders move on to other pursuits, or shift their roles within the agency. Some had the opportunity to fulfill long-term ambitions . . . going into full-time ministry, moving across the country to be closer to family, taking early retirement . . . others were asked to take on a new challenge within the organization to maximize their gifts and graces and further extend our mission reach. In talking to one of these individuals, she captured what I think at least some of our staff were feeling when she said, “It feels like a page is turning for the organization.” She is right, and that’s not a bad thing. The only way to move through a story is to turn the page. No matter how good one particular passage feels, the story ends if you aren’t willing to look towards what comes next.

The amazing thing is, the next page may be even better. Just as a plotline builds over time, I believe our success today is a result of the solid foundation set by those who came before us. And when you turn the page, the “characters” you have been developing have the chance to grow and expand their impact in new and exciting ways. You will never know what these emerging leaders could bring to your organization if they aren’t given the room to blossom.

Will their story line look exactly like the leaders several pages back? Of course not. But the challenges — the twists and turns in the plot — you face today may require a different type of leader than was needed in the last chapter. Not better or worse, just different.

There’s an incredible story waiting to unfold, but it only happens when you aren’t afraid to turn the page.