With so many years in this industry, I have come to expect change and I think I have learned to embrace it. I ask myself daily, “what has changed and how must we keep up and continually do better?” Sometimes our people are quick to catch on to improvements and systems that we implement to outperform the competition, and other times, well, it seems like the harder I push, the more resistance I get.
As much as I get a rush out of occasionally swooping in and saving the day, I can’t do it continually or be every where at every time. Sometimes I feel like I am pushing a cart uphill and if I take my hands off of it for even just a moment, it will roll down hill and crash. Pushing change from behind is not the same as leading. Quite often, if I as a leader continually fix the wheels, adjust the load and push the cart, everyone gets pretty used to me doing the lion’s share of the pushing. It’s simply human nature that if someone is solving problems before we even really understand or feel the problem, most of us will let them continue to do that and won’t even try to figure things out on our own.
So what's the solution? Lead from out in front and get people to follow. Give your people the resources and training it takes to get the changes that you find most important. And sometimes you have to be willing to give people some time to catch up and adjust to your pace. Sure, it can take longer this way, but it is a more natural and sustainable way of growing a company. And you get some help pushing that cart and over time, you get more downhill coasting and fewer difficult uphill battles.
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