Sometimes, when you are up to your “axles” in the swamp, you forget that your original intention was to drain it. Sometimes, we get so “mucked up” that even making simple progress is difficult. So, a key to change is simple: Perspective.
The “mud” in my cartoons might represent different things to different people. To some, it looks like water. To others, it is mud and difficult to deal with. I think that it can represent the things that make progress difficult, which might be:
- organizational culture
- organizational or departmental politics
- regulatory issues and problems
- systems and processes that do not work smoothly (like slow systems)
- People and personalities
Basically, the mud represents the things that it is hard to get a grip on. But the key is learning how to deal with it and find ways to get out of the ditch and up on the road.
And a good way to accomplish that is to look at the behaviors of the exemplary performers — does it make sense that they are doing things differently and making different choices?
Have fun with this!
Dr. Scott Simmerman is a designer of team building games and organization improvement tools. Managing Partner of Performance Management Company since 1984, he is an experienced presenter and consultant.
Connect with Scott on Google+ – you can reach Scott at scott@squarewheels.com
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