Do The Hard Job

I’m working on designing a new organisation at the moment and the one thing that stands out is how hard it is to do the ‘right’ thing. 

It’s so easy to get stuck into the problems of the moment, rather than confronting the real issues, much easier to make a grab for work that another part of the organisation already does than do the hard work that no one else is currently doing, so easy to do what’s urgent rather than what’s important, to do what the new boss asks for rather than what you believe is needed. 

I’ve spent the afternoon having this tough discussion, a discussion that’s only possible when you and your boss trust and respect each other and each others perspectives.  It’s also become clear just how important it is to be able to tell a story that takes stakeholders on a journey that eventually ends up with everyone in the same place, even though we all start on different continents (often literally).

This is the most challenging organisation design in my career and so far at least each day I feel like I’m making good progress.  If only I wasn’t so exhausted as a result of withdrawing from steroids, it’s a crushing exhaustion that comes on so quickly as the body fails to respond to challenge, even a challenging discussion or a drive down the motorway.

The photo is of my lovely little garden, this is where I should be sitting and pottering around this week, instead I’m figuring out how to grow a billion dollar business.