Every organization has hot spots. Work is easy. People feel joyful. Stuff gets done.
Pockets of energy are the future.
Every organization has black holes. Everything’s hard. People are negative. Getting stuff done is like flogging dead donkeys.
Focus on energy:
Pour energy into energy.
Leaders can’t ignore black holes, just don’t feed them. Focus your time and resources on success.
Develop, marginalize, or remove:
It’s hard to develop a black hole. It sucks everything in and gives nothing back. If you can’t develop, marginalize, or reassign poor performers, send them to other organizations.
What area of your organization makes you feel like you’re pushing a rope? Protect yourself and others from that area.
Spend time with people who are chomping at the bit.
Black hole responses:
The success of others brings black holes to life.
Black holes love to point out what’s wrong with success.
Black holes say, “Why are we spending so much time on that project and neglecting this one?”
Don’t get sucked in by pseudo-concern. They weren’t doing much. But, when vitality erupts, they want to kill it.
Black holes want you to pull back.
You can’t move forward while pulling back.
When fire flames up pour gas on it.
Follow success. Don’t listen to voices that encourage you to pull back by suggesting you aren’t doing enough for black holes.
Follow the fire.
Both:
Don’t neglect problem areas. One powerful way to energize people is to fix nagging issues. Bad is stronger than good. When you remove bad you do lots of good.
The question, “What’s working well?” always challenges this team member!
Too many of us have been problem-centric for too long.
I work in health where reporting and documenting errors is critical to keeping patients safe. It helps us learn, avoid future errors, and ultimately improves the patient experience. On the flipside, we can also improve by celebrating and learning from moments of excellence that happen daily.
We are embracing a new initiative dubbed LEX … Learning from EXcellence. Seems that learning from our mistakes can only take us so far. It’s always nice to be measuring what matters!!
The pendulum swings slowly …
Thanks for the reminder that we win when we pour fuel on the fire!!
Always ask two questions.
1. What’s working well?
2. What’s the biggest problem you are facing?
Thanks, Paul. One of my favorites, “What’s working?” Without refocusing we naturally get sucked into black holes.
The question, “What’s working well?” always challenges this team member!
Too many of us have been problem-centric for too long.
I work in health where reporting and documenting errors is critical to keeping patients safe. It helps us learn, avoid future errors, and ultimately improves the patient experience. On the flipside, we can also improve by celebrating and learning from moments of excellence that happen daily.
We are embracing a new initiative dubbed LEX … Learning from EXcellence. Seems that learning from our mistakes can only take us so far. It’s always nice to be measuring what matters!!
The pendulum swings slowly …
Thanks for the reminder that we win when we pour fuel on the fire!!
Thanks for adding your perspective here, David. Learning from mistakes is powerful and necessary unless we want a circle of defeat.
Do more of what works and less of what doesn’t. Thanks again.
Or as one wise old ball player told me one time – You can’t steal second without leaving first behind 😉
Wonderful quote. Thanks, Les.