Go Fast (If You Really Want to Fail)

5 Steps to Effective Change

I’m sitting in my office looking out the window at a cloud-saturated sky watching storm clouds slowly meander their way across the horizon. As the thunder rolls and lightning strikes, I’m aware that this weather system will slowly drag its feet today and dump a deluge of much-needed rain on our parched, summer earth.

Only a few days ago, another completely different storm front blew across our area. That one didn’t move at a turtle’s pace. It came abruptly and vanished quickly dousing the land with sheets of rain causing a flash flood. The ground couldn’t absorb the torrential downfall which devastated crops and flooded basements (including mine).

When a change (even a drastically needed change) happens too rapidly, the result is often painful. Abrupt transitions don’t lead to the desired transformations we seek but tragedies we would prefer to avoid. This can be true regardless of whether the scenario pertains to personal lives, corporate cultures, or even cultural norms.

Recently, a friend confided in me about their mental health struggles. They shared how their doctor had put them on a low dose of antidepressants to help them manage the battles raging in their mind. While I am not a clinician, I was alarmed at the diagnosis and asked them some probing…