Tag Archives: variables

Springtime Snows

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Snow ice cream on beautiful plate, closeup

I live in the Midwest. It is April. It has snowed the last three Sundays. Seriously, we made snow ice cream on Easter! Sometimes, during the season when you expect the crocuses and dogwoods and daffodils to start blooming, you get a snowstorm instead. And when that happens, you can whine, and complain, and wring your hands . . . or you can make snow ice cream.

Sooner or later, your best-laid plans are going to get snowed on. You can (and should!) plan and coordinate and attend to every detail within your control. The problem is, there are just so many variables that are outside of your control. When an unexpected storm rears its head and derails your plan, it is a leader’s responsibility to forge a new path forward. How do you prepare for Springtime snows?

  • Acknowledge that it can happen. If you expect that all of your plans are going to play out exactly as you have imagined, you set yourself up for disappointment. In effect, it is a leader’s job to bring a sweater, grab an umbrella, pack a snack . . . have a Plan B so you don’t miss a beat when the weather changes.
  • Embrace the change in your plans. When the Springtime snows happen, your people are going to look to you to see if they should be stressed, or worried, or upset. The energy you bring to the challenge at hand is contagious. Fake it until you make it if you have to, but it is a leader’s responsibility to embrace the change in plans, not wallow in what could have been.
  • Recognize the opportunity in the snow. When you embrace and make the most of unexpected situations, you just might be surprised by how often the results exceed what you would have achieved with your original plans. Years from now, I’m guessing we’ll be talking about the fun we had the Easter we made snow ice cream.

When you sign on to be a leader, you also sign on to the inevitable Springtime snows. Expect it, prepare for it, embrace it, and recognize that there can be untold opportunities hidden amidst the unexpected turn in the weather . . . if only you step forward to find them.

Springtime snows, while unexpected, can be absolutely beautiful . . . especially when viewed over a bowl of freshly made ice cream!

Getting to the Other Side

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Wooden footpath stairway in mystical deciduous forest disappeari

“I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

The longer I have been on this leadership journey, the more profound this Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. quote becomes, largely because I have seen so many well-intentioned people just stop and hang out in the muck and confusion of the “complexity” rather than continue to push through to the simplicity on the other side. Maybe for some people, it is easier to remain mired down in the intricate details because that provides the cover for continued information gathering and considering of options rather than committing to a decision that might be the wrong one. For most leaders, however, I think they just don’t realize that simplicity is an option. It is.

Make no mistake, “getting to the other side” is not an easy task. You can’t just go there first. The simplicity on the other side is not the novice’s basic understanding, which is found on “this side” of complexity. It is recognizing the layers and complicated variables of the situation — most clearly understood by walking through the midst of it — and then distilling the multiple scenarios, contingencies, and possibilities down into a path to the other side. And there is a path, but it will only become obvious when you are intentional about looking for it.

Following are a few pointers for the journey:

  • It will feel like a “hot mess” when you are in the midst of it. This is where a bit of experience helps. Once you have made the journey a time or two, it is easier to trust the process (okay, maybe not easier, but I have learned to repeatedly remind myself . . . trust the process!). I have yet to get to the other side without first feeling like I would never get there. This is usually because I try to shortcut the journey and find the path forward without walking all the way through the complexity. Keep forging ahead.

 

  • Get all the layers and variables down — in writing — before you try to consolidate your thinking. There is something about getting everything in print, with input from multiple sources, that allows you to see patterns that elude you when simply talking or rolling things around in your mind. Don’t try to categorize as you go, just get it all down. Trying to fit everything into a box too soon can result in missing points of connection.

 

  • You can’t rush the process, and you need a deadline. Yes, I know this seems contradictory. In my experience, the deadline is necessary to push you through the process, but you also have to let things “percolate” for a while. Sleep on it. Leave it alone for a bit. Then come back to the information and trust that a path will emerge.

What needs simplifying in your organization? The journey may not be easy, but it is absolutely worth the effort. See you on the other side.

The Fourth Quarter

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Basketball JumpI spent last evening cheering on my former high school, and my nephew’s current, basketball team in a post-season tournament. They led throughout the first half of the game, but unfortunately the momentum changed a bit in the third quarter, and they just couldn’t quite pull it out at the end of the game. As is often the case, it all came down to the fourth quarter. They played hard, they never gave up, and when the buzzer sounded they ended up just short of their goal.

Those are the hard loses for a coach, or a leader . . . when early in the contest it looks like the win is within your grasp . . . and then something happens. Maybe someone else caught a lucky break or used a strategy you weren’t expecting. Maybe your team struggled or was just a bit off their game. Maybe the officials/oversight bodies suddenly started calling things differently . . .

Regardless of the unexpected variables that may come your way, it all comes down to the fourth quarter . . . when you’re tired and probably a bit out of breath . . . when you are trying to make adjustments and communicate with your team while running at full tilt . . . when you feel the pressure bearing down on you, and the roar of advice/encouragement/criticism “they” are shouting at you. It can be exhausting and exhilarating, and how you handle the pressure can determine the results of the game.

So how do you prepare for the fourth quarter?

It starts with the fundamentals. Can your team move the ball down the court? Have they practiced enough to anticipate what needs to happen and where they need to be at any given moment? Does the team support each other when one of them is being double-teamed?

You have to know the game plan. It is the job of the leader/coach to set the strategy based on a whole host of variables. What “starting line-up” is the best match for the task at hand? What should the pacing look like? How will you re-group if things aren’t going as planned?

It takes endurance to finish strong. How many times have you witnessed an effort that just simply ran out of steam? Things started strong and appeared to be going well, but over time became sluggish? Unexpected distractions took extra energy or a turn of events just took the wind out of your sails? Does your team have the reserves to dig deep to bring it home?

Of course, you can do all these things and sometimes the fourth quarter still doesn’t go your way, but in the words of famed basketball coach John Wooden, “A man who is afraid to risk failure seldom has to face success.” Start with the fundamentals, know the game plan, finish strong. . . then learn from the risks, and enjoy the rewards, of the fourth quarter.