THE QUESTION THAT HAUNTS ME
We’re always looking to get better. At least we talk about it, which I suppose is half the game. It would be worse if we didn’t even talk about getting better. And we try things. We come up with ideas to fix this piece here or that thing there. And then, if we’re lucky, we actually act on those ideas and make some incremental improvement to this piece or that thing.
But is it enough? That’s what always drifts into the back of my mind as I work up yet another action plan or strategy or concept paper to deal with “problem x”. Is it enough? It might solve problem x, but is it enough? Because is problem x really the problem or is it just a symptom of the bigger problem we’re not dealing with? Maybe our work practices or our culture or our hiring approach or our organizational structure or its rules aren’t the real problem. Maybe the problem is that they are all outdated and disconnected because the organization is so disconnected from the world around it and we’re just unwilling or unable to respond. Maybe the problem is that we’re afraid to even have the conversation about what the problem really is.
There’s nothing wrong with taking on things in manageable increments if it results in some level of progress. But is incremental improvement enough in a world that doesn’t tend to move in increments anymore? Is our limited ability and agility enough in a world constantly in motion? Can we ever hope to catch up if we can’t even keep pace, if we can’t even maintain the gap?
And maybe fixing the real problem would, in the process, actually fix problem x along the way – and problem y and problem z…But that requires one giant leap rather than yet another patient step. How much courage is enough to take that leap?
