Like a musical hook, there are catch phrases people say that become earworms. They come from parents, mentors, teachers, and coaches. They are kernels of wisdom that simplify our complex world. They end up on posters, mission statements, and locker room bulletin boards. They shape our perspective whenever generic guidance is needed. Below are a few examples of ‘truisms’ that, upon further review, may not be true after all.

School districts and sports teams are examples of teams that evolve in seasons. Every year, they have a new blend of talent and a different flavor of customers. The offseason (summer for schools and winter for baseball teams) allows a chance to reboot culture and reenergize spirit. When the new season kicks off, most everyone is optimistic and, fortunately, mostly recovered from what went wrong last year. The chance to start fresh is real, yet the likelihood of regression to last year’s unhelpful themes is high. Here’s a roadmap for a true restart.

The clinical and organizational worlds merge when teams are under pressure. The lens through which we measure adaptability is both strategic and psychological. Sometimes we use the perspective of workplace wellness by focusing on culture. Other times we zero in on human coping skills and view the world through a behavioral health perspective.

The older you are, the more likely it is that it’s both. There’s a window of opportunity in adulthood to shift direction. Once past that window, most of your energy serves to keep things the same, no matter how miserable. Pain gets normalized over time. It’s easier to endure a known discomfort than it is to risk the consequences of change.

We are enjoying a historic period of leadership succession as the Baby Boomers gradually age into retirement. Professional service firms often employ mandatory retirement thresholds when 62-year-olds need to find new career paths regardless of whether they are ready for a transition. Many of these colleagues are just reaching their peaks. The consequence is loss and change. When this unfolds, we lose much more than the person and their talent.

When was the last time a day turned out the way you expected? Never, right? There’s always a twist – sometimes in the form of adversity and, occasionally, a pleasant surprise. Whether your day has headed north or south, it’s all about adaptability. What happens next has many options.

Let’s play “Would you Rather.” Would you rather sit in a retreat workshop and listen to the speaker drone on about the day’s curriculum…or…would you rather get up, move around the room, and see the day’s lesson in action? Hearing that a colleague is hesitant to share innovative ideas for fear of criticism is a much different experience than seeing your teammate place themselves in a location in the circle that lacks trust. There you stand – waiting to launch into innovation – while your counterpart declines the invitation to join you in the area where creativity happens. Awkward and silent eye contact usually happens next. Now what?

Confession: I’ve learned to skim and absorb most of my reading material quickly. I’m willing to trade depth for speed. I can synthesize an academic journal article in fifteen minutes. Anything less rigorous takes me about two. Many social media platforms predict how long it will take to read their posts, with an eye toward expedience. No need to dive in if you don’t have 4.5 minutes to spare. This blog promises “60 seconds on the Team Clock.” I endeavor to put readers out of their misery in less than a minute. It’s a dupe. My blogs are usually two-minute reads.

The first change that draws most people’s attention is the unfair event that alters their stability. The second kind of change is the one that you, yourself, instigate. Others react to this one like you would respond to the first type. The third kind of change is constant and quiet. We age. Our teams evolve. Succession happens. The first and second examples consume tremendous amounts of leadership and H.R. energy. What many people don’t realize is that the third is an even more valuable expenditure of time and talent.

The last time we delivered workplace culture assessment results to a leadership team, it was not the first time they had received this feedback. It was the first time they had decided to do something about it. We are often in the position of asking, “Does it hurt enough yet?” when weighing a team’s readiness to fix what’s broken. Most teams prefer the pain they know to whatever they’re about to feel if they attempt any change. It’s easier to stay the same.

Think about the team within the team. Move from outer circle to inner circle of the organizational chart. Each layer has its own culture. Board of Directors, executive leadership, senior management, supervisors, front line – culture adapts at each level. Decision authority is exerted from the outside in. Yet repair often occurs from the inside out. The more isolated the team, the greater their ability to define their own vibe. Where do you live within the nest?

At the Team Clock Institute, we are fortunate to be in a position to observe the lifespan of many teams. There are up years and down years. Some teams achieve nirvana and unintentionally become complacent. Others get stuck in a rut and decide that the labor of repair is more painful than staying the same. Still others find a sustainable rhythm of continuous improvement and invest in the next generation. When we take a snapshot of the current state of the team, stories unfold that enable the data to make sense. No struggle – or growth – occurs without precipitants.