It’s not the same

No it’s not.

The experience of online isn’t the same as face to face.

Working remotely isn’t the same as working alongside others in the same location.

The pasta isn’t exactly like your favourite restaurant.

The marketing you’re doing isn’t the same as last time.

If things aren’t the same as we expected or hoped, we just need to adapt. We can adapt systems and processes, routines and rituals. And we can adapt expectations too.

Adaptations are happening all the time even if they are tiny micro adaptations. Even if we don’t really notice them.

And if we aren’t adapting? Perhaps we are resisting. Or waiting... waiting for the old to return so that things can be the same again... But it’s not the same. No it’s not. And here we go around again...knowing it’s not the same.

Thankfully, cleverly we are an adaptive species. We can keep adapting and we can keep helping and supporting those around us as they adapt too.

Weaving it together

As information flows and bounces around, back and forth between people in a team, how are you helping to weave it all together?

These interlacing and interconnected threads of data, opinions, ideas and decisions need to be brought together. Not everyone sees what is obvious and not everyone is able to make the connections of information that help us make progress.

A key role for leaders in times of uncertainty and change is to make sense of what the heck is going on. Taking seemingly disparate threads and finding links, relevance and connections among and between them is part of that role of leadership.

Don’t let it happen via hope. accident or default. Because it may not happen at all.

Things can become more confusing and ambiguous when you believe it will just weave itself. Take an active role to thread, weave and connect information ... even if you think it’s obvious.

It helps ease the stress and uncertainty people may be feeling as it relieves a weight from our mind ... and our shoulders.

Make sense of what you can

It’s not possible to understand or make sense of everything ... you know, not everything! When we are understanding, learning and ‘connecting the dots’ about a situation over a period of time, we are making sense ... sense making.

We do it naturally and instinctively but we can also learn and focus on how to do more sensemaking better, sooner, quicker.

There is value and calm for us focusing on the stuff we can make sense of and to not worry so much about the rest... the chaos. As more information comes to hand about a situation, our sense of the situation grows. We know more. We make more sense. The chaos can become a little less chaotic perhaps.

We can’t know everything all at once. It kind of doesn’t work that way. We will see more and differently as more things come to light for us. There's no need to battle all the chaos, all the time.

Join me as we just make sense of the things we can, progressively, bit by bit.

In the land of now and next

In the land of now... and next

What was relevant then may not be now. 
What is relevant now may not be next. 
And what is relevant next may not even be in our field of vision or realm of possibility right now. 

This is the pace of change. 
And we can adapt. We are adapting. 
It’s quite amazing what we humans can and are doing. 

We can find connections between what we are able to do and what the world needs next. 

So how are you remaining relevant?

The gallery in your mind

It’s open now ... an exhibition. featuring imagery, clips, videos, snippets, quotes and dramatic headlines and links from all of the stuff you’ve been absorbing lately. 

Oops ... we didn’t realize it but the gallery is now full. And it has not even been curated yet! 

Curation is when the exhibits in a gallery are organised and arranged, identified, sourced and carefully chosen. They present a story, a setting or a theme to gallery visitors as they walk, wander, wonder and experience it all. It flows, makes sense, is a delight. 

It’s time to clean out our current exhibit. 

Time to paint the walls, sweep the floors, and get ready for another newer and fresher exhibition. 

The next one. Let’s make it a better one. 

It’s time to become more of a curator of what you let in to the gallery in your mind. To more carefully choose what you will watch, look at, listen to and absorb. 

We don’t need to let just anything into this gallery of ours. 

More isn’t better. 
More isn’t beautiful. 

Curate, choose and be discerning. It is yours after all.