Beneath the soil, there is a marvellous alchemy taking place, long before the flower, tree or plant emerges fully formed.
That alchemy takes place in the dark: the worms, the decomposed leaves, the bugs, the seeds, the fertilising agents, the nutrients. None of it is seen, none of it has light shone onto it, and none of these gradual but constant changes can be witnessed.
But happening, they are!
So too in your business. Changes are taking place right now – today – that are not being noticed but which are going to come to the fore in the future in a profound and impactful way.
That alchemy takes place in the dark: the worms, the decomposed leaves, the bugs, the seeds, the fertilising agents, the nutrients. None of it is seen, none of it has light shone onto it, and none of these gradual but constant changes can be witnessed.
But happening, they are!
So too in your business. Changes are taking place right now – today – that are not being noticed but which are going to come to the fore in the future in a profound and impactful way.
I’ve seen it in a rugby team I’m coaching at the moment. This once-successful, high-profile team has fallen on hard times, and there is a resuscitation taking place that requires time – years, in this case – before the program will turn around. What I’m noticing at the moment is an irritation rising around the constant losses. It began as fidgety body language a few weeks ago. Then there were a few comments made in the background a few days later that the players didn’t realise I heard. Then, a fractiousness started to play out between a few players. Then, an outpouring of tears and frustration as the final whistle blew on Saturday. So now it’s surfaced and is being discussed and dealt with as a team and coaching staff.
The point here is that there are winds of change blowing in your business right now that you could benefit from knowing about. Alternatively, they can grow and mutate away for ages and then lurch to the surface one day in a strong and hard-to-reverse direction.
A few themes I would be watching for at the moment:
The point here is that there are winds of change blowing in your business right now that you could benefit from knowing about. Alternatively, they can grow and mutate away for ages and then lurch to the surface one day in a strong and hard-to-reverse direction.
A few themes I would be watching for at the moment:
How unsettling AI is for people at the moment
People’s worsening physical, emotional, and mental states
The accumulated fatigue of the past 5 years (Covid, supply chain disruption, war disruption, political uncertainty)
Society’s dramatic rapid changes and their impact on family units
Whether people believe in and follow a leader (non-followship is far more disruptive these days than it used to be)
Outdated, legacy business practices that are no longer appropriate but are still in play cause friction
Deep observation of your business – or of your ‘system’ to be specific – is actually lots of fun. It’s enjoyable looking for and seeing these future dynamics (both opportunities and problems alike) take shape. For leaders, it’s like a challenge of sorts: outsmarting the system by getting ahead of it and predicting the future.
So tune into these signals. Whilst not easily seen, they are more easily ‘felt’ and are there for you to act upon.
Have a great week ahead, folks.
So tune into these signals. Whilst not easily seen, they are more easily ‘felt’ and are there for you to act upon.
Have a great week ahead, folks.