Jan 17, 2021
hidden opposing forces
Nothing in the laws of forward motion suggests that the forces that slows us down should be clear and obvious.
Some opposing forces are unwittingly nurtured when we choose to do things because they’re the most familiar thing we know, not because they are necessarily the best thing to do.
Some opposing forces are recognized by a few select peers but go unreported because not everyone feels comfortable sharing the problems and risks that they think they see.
Some opposing forces defy detection despite having the best instrumentation — markets sometimes unexpectedly dip, and storms do occasionally come out of left field.
If you simply wait, most of these opposing forces reveal themselves through the steep costs they eventually incur: large numbers of discontent customers and peers, upstream and down stream delays, a drop in market position.
Alternatively, you can choose to seek out and uncover these issues in their infancy when they are less harmful. It’s possible to ask ‘why’ more often about the routines that you’ve probably become a little too comfortable with, it’s possible to make an effort to build a culture of open communication. And for the issues that no one truly could’ve seen coming: it’s possible to rise to the occasion in a way that enables the storm to be weathered better.
Creating impactful work and doing right by the people you aim to serve requires a recognition and sense of urgency for the problems likely at play that you can’t see yet.
