This site is devoted to Exposure, Engagement, Expansion, Enhancement, and Enrichment of the lives of those who use RGB Technologies. High capacity cycles: DOCUMENT - DECIDE - DISTRIBUTE - DIAGNOSE - DISCLOSE - DESIGN - DELIVER - DEVELOP - DISSECT - DO-IT-AGAIN

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Persistence - Go Slow to Go Fast

In 1970 I sat at my desk in Concord, New Hampshire, reading the newspaper and enjoying a cup of coffee before the start of a hectic day. There was a full page ad that resonates with me still. The phrase that has stuck with me and has guided me somewhat was, "persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." You may recognize it as a quote from Calvin Cooledge. Here it is in its entirety.

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common that unsuccessful talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race" Calvin Cooledge

As some of you may know, we are in the process of moving our office for the 8th time because of a fundamental "reinvention" in how we do business and with whom. Yet 22 years and 8 moves later we remained steadfast to our purpose. We have invented and reinvented ourselves in the process and avoided the ultimate organizational death that punctuates the life-cycle of many organizations. There have been expansions and contractions with lessons learned in all of them. Trial and error with every course correction that has added agility. Our RGB-CapacityWareTM Technology started with a blank piece of paper and we've expanded it to five Books (which by the way are under constant revision as we learn from every event we've undertaken).

We believe our "calling" has been clear: Help my people! Although it has been tempting to be management consultants and enjoy a category with which most people have a sense of familiarity, we have remained true to the intent of organization development (od) principles and are proud to be alone in our own category as workforce consultants. This might, of course be subtle arrogance or stubbornness, but we think it is persistence and that it is consistent with our brand of od. Too often we encounter those who believe they are Organization Developers (note the capital letters that smack of a noun rather than the small letters that are verbish and smack of action). OD has opened its arms to sister-category of professional development so that it is difficult to tell the difference, but tends to be more about individual training than collective or interpersonal organization learning.

So, what does persistence and determination have to do with going slow to go fast? Sticking with our category of workforce consultants means that we have a complex condition to understand from the perspectives embedded in the workforces we serve. Our interactions with those clients demands empathy and reflection if we are to help them change. That is not a fast thing. We have some answers going in, but are required to slow down and synch with those, for example, who resist change. Only when we adequately understand the personal implications of resistance (going slow) do we have the means to fold that resistance into the progress that enables greater speed toward a more inclusive destination. Clients (usually senior leaders or management) want set answers and speed because slow is more resource intensive. Yet there is a price for getting up to speed too quickly that seems inevitable (lost effectiveness - remember: Rhythm of the Rocks). Persistence and determination does seem to provide a means to that end.

1 comment:

Bob said...

Growing up on a farm alerts me to the natural rhythm of farm life, where, after the seeds are in the ground, there is a long period of "waiting" until the harvest comes in. This parallels for me the "going slow" you reference. When the crops are ready, you work day and night until the harvest is complete. In much the same way, preparing an organization and planting seeds that take time to mature seems to take a long time. To persistence and determination I would add patience as the season of an organization is much longer than the growing season of most crops.