[2/3] The moment that scares you is really moving you to the next level

These are scary times. And it is time to get to the next level. 

We will become comfortable being uncomfortable. 

At the moment it would be so crucial in your organization to have the teams talking about the situation and see what is possible when it is time to recover. Because many things will change now and there are always massive opportunities. 

What can we do to focus on to make change faster? How to get in a position where we will be the one organization right there, when things turn?

Adapt to the change. That is why your company will still be around 100 years from now. 

Many years ago I was asked to phase out a production line with my team. I felt terrible. This was the first line I became responsible for as a leader. I was so connected to the product, the people. All the efforts we did to improve thru years will be flushed. 

My supervisor came to me and said:

Attila, I know, this is the first time you are shutting off a line. It feels like loosing someone. 
I know because I felt the same about my first product. 
Then I learnt that there will be many lines you will have to build during the time and sooner or later you will phase them out. 
You will learn that it is not the product what matters but the people and how they perform. They are the ones who win us more businesses.

He was right.

Mindset, values, culture – that will continue.

The products, the facility, the tools, the short term goals – they are always going to change.

And when change is happening, people are relying on you to come up with an answer. And the best answer has to have a creative tension.  

It has to be able to ground itself, face the reality. What is happening today, what is wrong. 

And at the same time it has to be able to give and inspire people to get to a place in the future that is desirable. 

This is what they want.

Something like this:

Today, we are struggling. We have many things not working properly. 
I can picture that we will get to the stage next year when a customer wants to source a new product they will come and looking for us. Why? Because we are the one well-oiled group of people. 
We know what is happening now. Everything is changing. The industry is changing. It is always changing. 
And the ones who aren’t willing to change, who aren’t flexible, they will die. And later on, even if the industry is thriving, they won’t be around.

So, here is where I want to go. 

And here is the reason I want to go there. Here is my belief in what will happen when we go there. Here is how we feel when we will go there. 
And you know, I am not the one who knows how to make all those changes. The people in the room here are the ones who know that. We will do it together.

You create enough tension. What is happening is so hard to survive. And you create a picture. It does not matter whether it is 6 months or a year. It has got to be something that people can relate to and believe in knowing you believe in too.

But it takes courage. Leadership takes courage.

Good leaders have something which helps them living their values and people need leaders like them.