Stop Asking Your People To Run At The Wall
This is my 20th Freewheeling Bitesize. I’ve committed to daily, which means 262 posts per year. If I’m going to do this, I’d love more people to read it. If you’re enjoying it, please forward this to someone you think would also like. If everyone does this, it’ll double my readership - which will make me happy.
When I left Chiltern Railways, a senior figure in our owning group said:
“We’re going to miss you, Thomas. We need people like you - willing to keep running at the same brick wall over and over again.”
“Or you could move the wall?” I replied.
Too many organisations see their own barriers as immovable. But they were created by humans so there’s no need to ask your people to keep absorbing the pain.
Effort is admirable. But progress needs design, not just resilience.
Take Action
If you’re a leader:
When was the last time, you scheduled a meeting to openly ask your team about the blockers they face. If it was more than six months ago, put it in the diary today.
If you’re a team member:
Choose a blocker you’ve hit more than twice. Draft a 3-line brief: what it is, how it slows you down and one fix. Share it with someone who can help solve it.