Cycle after cycle, relationships and teams grow and change. Unless they have made the choice to stay the same – which many do to avoid the emotional labor – every moment brings a chance for evolution. The smaller moments are often only visible in hindsight, but the bigger transitions are the ones that open the biggest windows of opportunity. The magic is in taking advantage of them before they close.
Pay attention to the signs that tell your team the window has opened:
- There has been a significant loss, failure, or disappointment.
- Succession of leadership talent is underway.
- A major milestone has been achieved.
- The environmental landscape – business or personal – has shifted.
- Your team has fallen out of alignment with your values.
- A problem you can’t solve has hit an impasse.
- The structure of your entity has been redefined (e.g. marriage, divorce, remarriage, merger, acquisition).
The triggers are many and when they happen, instinct is do everything in your power to keep things the same. Counterintuitively, these are the moments when recalibration can lead to growth and enable wellness. They are inviting you to reestablish norms, clarify future direction, resolve conflict, and fine-tune roles and responsibilities.
You get to choose the path ahead. You get to decide where you are going and who will accompany you. Heal the injury. Welcome the new leader. Celebrate the accomplishment. Adapt to the new terrain. Clarify your values. Solve the unsolvable problem. But don’t delay – the window is about to close…that is, of course, until the next cycle.
