Beware the Ninja Blender Effect!

"It’s so much harder to make sure we're getting stuff done!” 

That’s a frustration I’ve heard mentioned by many folks over the last fortnight. In fact, the word “productivity” seems to be #trending right now amongst team leaders.

And no wonder! I mean, when your world is turned inside out and put three times through a Ninja blender, “smashing your goals” gets a little… complicated.

If team productivity is on your mind, I reckon three of the most useful questions you can be asking yourself and your team are: 

What’s important to us right now? 

What does success look like today? 

What does each of us need to get there?

I love these questions because they cause us to (a) slow down, (b) reconnect with what really matters, and (c) break success into tiny digestible chunks. 

They also help to short-circuit a couple of common responses for many of us when we lose control: 

• the "Ninja blender effect” means we quickly lose track of which way is up, and so we just scramble. (A bit like that time as a young kid when I found myself out of my depth in a madly frothing spa - panicking, I just flapped my arms and kicked my legs until someone pulled me up) 
• upon sensing the “old normal” is slipping away, we furiously accelerate to try and regain control of things - perhaps through action plans, strategies and 'quick wins'. 

The problem with both of these reactions is that they can cause more noise than clarity. Both are all about Taking Action, but is it useful?

As counter-intuitive as it might feel, these are the times when you’ve got to slow down, take a breath and ask, “What’s important right now?”  Don’t try and fix things too quickly. Just slow things down. Make space to connect, not just with each other, but with your purpose. Make space to talk about your new ways of working. Make space to talk about what will get in the way. 

And then run everything in a series of short experiments. After all, we’ve all been thrown into one giant experiment - so why not treat everything as an idea to test and learn? 

And remember, the best thing about growth is that it happens one F* up at a time. 

Now is not the time to go it solo*

* Or, Why Group Coaching rocks

This post is a reflection of the kind of conversation I’m having with some of the leaders I work with. 

With everything going on around us, many leaders are not only feeling challenged - they are feeling disconnected. As if they are going it alone. The very opposite of what they need right now. 

So, what to do?

Well, many of you will know I am a big fan of group coaching. The way group coaching works is that I moderate a group of 6-8 leaders for regular virtual meetings - supporting each of them individually and, even more importantly, creating a space where each member of the group can not only connect with each other, but support and challenge one another.

One of the key advantages of this approach is that it fosters a lasting relationship between the individuals, who can go on and coach one another well beyond their sessions with me. 

Perhaps that sounds like something that would be useful in the context of your team or organisation? If so, I’d be very happy to have a quick, exploratory conversation about what that might look like for you. All you need to do is click on this link to book in a time for a 20 minute conversation with me. 

PS. By the way, our family worked through the 3 questions at the top of this post. The kids went crazy with post-it notes when we were talking about the first question, “What’s important to us right now?”. Here’s a snap of the flipchart they created… (facilitator in da house!).

This was such a useful way of expressing all the needs that were competing for attention - and to create shared ownership for working out how to keep them in balance.

Give it a go!

Cheers

Simon