Compared to what ?

01/01/2021

Our LinkedIn feed and mailbox are flooded with reflections on 2020. What are we proud of? What did we achieve? How did we adapt to the pandemic? What are we grateful for?

While I truly admire the many inspiring stories of resilience, resolve and connection, it made me think back to a lesson I learned 20 years ago in a physics class. No measurement makes sense without a frame of reference. So when reflecting back on 2020, I invite you to think in terms of “… compared to what?”.

One of my favorite frames of reference is potential.

In the different leadership roles I have held, I always compared myself, the organization, the results and the strategy to their potential:

Compared to current potential
Did you bring all your qualities to the table?
How did the team perform vs. what it could have achieved?
Where could we have strengthened, sharpened, accelerated our strategic plan?

Compared to maximum potential
Where and how far can you grow?
How can you bring the team to unlock a new world of possibilities?
What would be required to build and implement an even more ambitious strategy?

There is a wide spectrum of perspectives to be experimented with. Working with CEO’s and their teams, our coaching practice continues to discover even more every day.

In this last weekend before we all dive back in our work, take a look at the lenses through which you analyze your world. May we tempt you to find clarity and energy by looking through different ones?

Warmest wishes for a healthy and successful 2021,

Benoit