Lift, Lower, or Cut Anchor

An anchor serves a common purpose on a ship or boat…to stop it from moving. Lower the anchor and it engages and connects the vessel to the seabed, ensuring it stays put. It prevents drifting in the wind and current which would put those onboard at risk. It is a basic requirement for vessels on the water, typically with a sharp projection that hooks into the rock and soil. The stability it provides enables a variety of productive and pleasurable activities for those onboard.

Periodically, a boat anchor can get wedged into the seabed so tight that it’s difficult or impossible to get it out. In this case, some boaters keep a sharp knife handy so that they can cut the rope linked to the anchor. Particularly, if the vessel is in perilous water or weather, it’s important to be able to quickly release what’s holding it back.

Symbolic Anchors

Anchors exist symbolically in organizations. They are the critical part of grounding teams in why they exist, what they do, how they do it, and who they do it for. They’re a weighty stabilizing force to keep teams focused on a goal.

Anchors can look like…

• People who know the history of the group and make decisions based on generally accepted norms.
• Processes that are important to accomplish goals.
• Practices and behaviors that are commonly used.
• Performance expectations of what it takes to fit into the group and be perceived as a strong contributor to business outcomes.

And because they’re deeply embedded in the organization’s culture, these anchors are often unnoticed, until transformation is needed. Organizations inevitably decide to change their market positioning, update their operating processes, shift their branding, or reorganize as a strategy to improve results. When that happens, they realize how embedded their anchors are, based on how easy it is to lift them and move forward.

Boaters tell funny and harrowing stories about what happened when they revved the motor to move forward, then recognized they weren’t getting anywhere because they forgot that the anchor was still down. Similarly, stories abound of change strategies that stalled, took longer than expected, or failed, because leaders misread how difficult it would be to “un-moor” team members from their past.

Embedded Anchors

A variety of anchors are embedded in organizations, and thus keep teams stuck in one place. They look like…

• People whose skill sets no longer serve the organization’s purpose.
• Processes that no longer accomplish the goal.
• Practices that are counterproductive.
• Performing in a manner to meet personal needs instead of focusing on the greater good of the team.

Many of these anchors are regarded with great value for the contribution they’ve provided in the past. They were critical at a time where the organization needed stability, particular expertise, strong leadership, specific processes, and alignment across teams.

Sometimes, leaders can work with teams to develop and build support for strategies that will accomplish the desired change; unembedding and lifting the anchor. And other times, it’s simply necessary to cut the anchor; leave it behind, because it’s too difficult to unwedge it from the past.

Because inevitably, there is a tension that builds up between the present state and the desired future; between staying as-is and changing. Team members who are both unsure and uncomfortable about how the future state will affect them may resist the most. And this tension may build to a natural breaking point where the pressure to move forward strains the connection to the past. Just like a boat springs forward after the stuck anchor is freed or cut away, the organization will move forward more quickly when the tension of the past is broken. The team didn’t realize how much the anchor held them back until it was gone.

Cutting the anchor may look like…

• Finding new “roles” and “homes” for people. Show them where they can add value in different ways in the future.
• Engaging process owners to “recognize, honor and retire” an ineffective process and create a new one.
• Identifying new goals and developing practices that support them.
• Modeling new performance expectations and accountability at the leadership level. Provide examples, recognize, and reward those who imitate them.

A Decision Point

Anchors are valuable and deserve respect. They’re a safety essential, and experienced boaters take time to try to unwedge them when they’re stuck. Yet, each time it’s necessary to cut one loose, it must be replaced with a new one with improved functionality for the waters in which it is operating.

Lower your anchors when you want to establish a foundation, norms, and behaviors. It helps to cement your culture into place.

Lift your anchors and carry them with you as they add value in your transition to new strategies, customs, and values.

Cut your anchors when holding on to them risks a broader negative impact to the team or organization.

Happy sailing!

Copyright 2024 Priscilla Archangel

Photo by DimanDiver, iStock.