• Home
• Books
• About
• Services
• Contact

 

  JUST RELEASED!

     Find out more.

Your armor is your enemy.

I was recently discussing organizational entropy with some executives (the details are irrelevant), and realized that many of them were experiencing different stages of business grief (Kübler-Ross model):

1. Denial - "We're fine. We're viable. We're as good as they are, if not better. It's simply a communication and perception problem."
2. Anger - "What's wrong with those people? I wish they'd open their eyes. This simply isn't fair."
3. Bargaining - "Just let me keep it going a little longer, until somtheing changes or until I can get out."
4. Depression - "It's over. We're finished. Screw it! Why should I bust my a**? What's the point?"
5. Acceptance - "Times changed, we didn't. No problem, we can change too. Everything will be okay, albeit different."

I've personally experienced each stage over the years, and I've discovered only one way forward, one way beyond grief and back into the world of possibility.

We must accept our status quo and perceive our denial for what it really is: a defensive response to outside forces, psychological armor to protect us from short term pain and fear of the unknown.

That armor is our enemy. It will slow us down, smother our passion, and suck the life out of us and our organizations.

Remove the armor, pull in a deep breath of fresh, 2012 air, and get on with the business of creating something exciting and meaningful.

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, "Vitality shows not only in the ability to persist but the ability to start over."

Stop contemplating the past; there are no answers there. The answers lie out there, in the lives of those you hope to light up.

Yes, hold onto the lessons learned. And of course, carry your strengths with you into the future. But let go of who you think you are. Otherwise you will never become who you are meant to be.

Posted by Tom Asacker June 8, 2012
Permalink  |