Poking at full speed

My weekdays are packed and at full speed. Therefore, my weekends have no need for speed. Back in the bush taking time to explore, time to be curious, time to wonder, time to appreciate.

And then of course for good measure, I get stuck into something. My recent blog One stuck piece got the highest traffic we’ve seen so far, so I’m happy to expand with this sequel.

You may recall how I was on my hands and knees pulling and digging out branches to get the water flowing again in a passage of our local creek. Well, last weekend it was overdue again.

This time though, the challenge was in plain sight. No need to dig to find the root cause. The water levels were so low, that – at a glance – I could see every branch and stone that would stop the flow as the water would return to higher levels. Easy!!

It’s easy when it’s laid out bare. Right in front of your eyes.

Unfortunately, this mainly happens in life and business when we’re down for the count. Hitting rock bottom. Laid bare. On our flat feet. You get the point: when it’s hurting and we’re vulnerable.

Wouldn’t it be nice with laser eyesight? Being able to see through all the white noise and spotting the root causes before taking that painful path?

As parents, that’s what we sometimes wish for our kids: that we can predict and take away the mishaps and trouble and pain before they occur. Yet, we know that challenges are needed for learning and growing – helping them become conscious, awesome human beings. The kids need to do their own journey.

For our teams and businesses, we hope that we can spot risks and avoid dangerous turns, too. Not always.

But combining experience, data, systems and dashboards with gut feel, good conversations, and connection, is a good place to start. Knowing that something is off track before it gets too far. Knowing when we’re onto something great before we get distracted with other priorities. Poking at speed, not having to stop or wait for the issue to occur.

Doing our collective journey and learning while moving.

When that water is flowing at full speed down the creek, knowing where and when to poke your stick in. Have fun poking!