Our Culture is Obsessed with This
Sometimes we just need to BE.
And then, BE OKAY with just BEING.
Having been down far too many rabbit holes lately, I get it. If you appreciate growth and development, perhaps you've had seasons where the constant and never-ending improvement cycle has worn you ragged. There is something sweet and simple about seasons where we just exist within the framework of the businesses we've created. For some of us that is impossible because we've never designed that framework. We don't have systems, rhythms or routines in our business and, therefore, we cannot operate within them.
| Simply being isn't as available or easy to do for those who don't have the backend infrastructure built in their business. |
While that is a problem that does need solving, it's likely not a problem to tackle today. If you're running ragged, stop with the growth mode. Just pause for now. Exist for a week or two or three. Maybe four.
You may not have the capacity right now to build the structure you need for long-term growth and burnout protection, but you can define the minimums you need in order to run the business for a few weeks. Just check those boxes. Get in. Get out.
Is this complacency?
I say no. But, if you say it is…you probably have seasons of exhaustion. Just a hunch. Doing your job at the most basic level shouldn't feel complacent. If you're around a lot of high performers OR people whose business grows when yours does (AKA they make more money when you make more money) - there may be substantial pressure to never just be. Don't buy what they're selling. No deal.
Notice I didn't say cut corners, decrease customer service, quit prospecting or ignore your team. What I am suggesting is creating a clearly defined list of things like: ‘this is what I am paid to do’, ‘this is what it means to meet client expectations’ and ‘this is how I keep engaging potential new customers’. Anything not on your absolutely necessary list can take a seat for a hot minute.
As someone whose very role is to help people improve strategically, I don't want to be stuck into the vortex of growth. I don't want to push my clients into their own vortexes either.
Growth is necessary and it is important, but it doesn't have to carry the title of constant.
Like everything, how you harness it makes all the difference. So, let's harness growth mode for our good. Let's create time and spaces for it that work for us, not against us.
