I remember that day when the CEO of the company I was working for asked me: “how is the situation?”. I answered him: “well, it’s like going uphill on a rusty military bicycle…” He was expecting another answer, he went out of the office without saying any word…
I was at that very moment manging a situation for which the company was just not fit for, the organisation form and practices were not (really) supporting the endeavour and therefore I was just using personal resources, embodying the role of the hero to save the case.
Thinking backward to that intense moment, I’m really appreciating the metaphor of the old rusty military bicycle… There are two key components to win a bike race: being fit and prepared for the ride and having a decent bike. Fitness corresponds to all the leadership and professional abilities; the bike corresponds to the organisational form and practice that support the business.
Looking around, how many of you are riding with rusty bicycle? How many of you are pushing hard despite the flat tires to take part to the daily race?
Considering the above, I trust that there are a couple of things that can be done:
- You deserve a racing machine, ask for it and take part to its setup
- Organisations need to continuously work on their efficiency form and practices to face the context they are in (VUCA).
The way I’ve found to support organisations to work on their efficiency is through the organisational systemic agility.
To support you in checking if you’ve got the proper bike for your race, check out the Systemic Agility survey that provides immediate feedback: http://www.acceleration-lab.com/agility/systemic-agility-online/