I have recently experienced a few events in my professional life where I have seen the power of a process roll out in real life. The reason I write about it today is that a good process, one that is tested and true, typically takes time to roll out and can seem painfully slow to people. And a warning… many people WILL push back!
Take for instance a CEO search. As the Chair of the BC Chamber of Commerce Board, I was on a team that was responsible for the search for a new CEO to lead our organization. The task force was made up of four people from our larger Board and we got to work defining a process with a CEO search firm, outlining timelines, and starting our work. The biggest challenge for me was not the time and effort that goes into this process, it was sticking to the process because of my natural tendencies as a leader to race through something quicker and faster to reach the intended outcome. You may even find that you will experience external pressure from people wondering why things were taking so long – effective communications can help lessen people’s concerns, but that’s a topic for another blog.
Leader. I implore you. Commit to the power of process.
There’s great wisdom in the book The Tortoise and The Hare and the race they embark upon. The starter’s gun goes off. The hare sprints out in the lead. But in the end, it is the methodical tortoise who wins the race by putting its head down and moving forward one diligent step at a time.
When you intentionally follow a process, take time to make small changes and pivots here and there when needed, but remember you are on a journey that should not cut out important steps along the way for the sake of speed. It is that grit – the power of passion and perseverance – which encourages us to live life and take on leadership like a marathon, not a sprint, and will help us see better outcomes in what we do.
