Navigating the Purple Haze

I have spent the majority of my career leading high growth companies, not start-ups, but companies that have found their grounding and are ready to grow. It is exciting. It is fast-paced. It is not for everyone.  

In the 90’s I worked for a family owned business during an extremely high growth period. Our owner’s wife was a designer and extremely visual.  She would say there were three stages of new product design.  The first stage was “blue sky” where you visualize where you want to be, brainstorm and dream of the future. The third stage was “pink paradise” when you realize the vision, refine, perfect and reap the rewards. But in between was the “purple haze” when things got fuzzy, visions collided and communications broke down. It’s the stage when the real work gets done.  

I see that companies can be like that too. There are start-up for dreamers and imaginers. Mature companies for managers and refiners. And purple haze for people like me.  

Purple haze is not for everyone. I have hired people with a full disclosure of what to expect, only to have them bail out quickly when they saw the work that was needed. There is a great need for flexibility, discipline and humility. You have to have a lot of faith, in your company and in yourself. You have to be the one with the vision and be equally comfortable being the person to jump in and get it done. When the tools you need are not available, you have to roll up your sleeves and build them. They are the hardest jobs I have taken on and the most rewarding.

At some point in our careers we all find ourselves in the purple haze. Here are some tools that I have developed over the years that make it easier to navigate.

1. Set expectations. People can accept and navigate the purple haze much better if they know they are in it. It is scary if you think you are in the pink paradise phase and things are going awry, but somehow it is more manageable when everyone understands that uncertainty and change come with the territory and are to be expected. I once had a poster that said, “I used to think I could get my job done if it were not for the distractions, debates and changes…now I realize that is my job.”

2. Check-in regularly. Setting regular touch bases can be a great guardrail for the team, a check in to see that everyone is still accounted for and holding on to the guide rope. Creating a space to ask questions, request help and provide feedback keeps the team together and provides reassurances.

3. Balance short term and long-term. If you only focus on the short term, you won’t know where you are headed. If you only focus on the long term, it will be difficult to get things done.

4. Focus on the 80/20. In the purple haze, perfection is the enemy of the good. Get stuff done. You can always refine as you go.  

5. Accept change. You are in the purple haze. Change is inevitable. It is not an indictment of the past or the work that has already been done to date, but an embrace of the natural evolution that things take as you work through unknown territory.

6. Cheerlead. Take time to celebrate milestones and accomplishments. Don’t wait for the big win at the end. Celebrate the journey and bring everyone along for the ride.

7. Hire for culture. As I started by saying, the purple haze is not for everyone. People who need predictability, a perfectly written roadmap and flawless execution don't thrive in the purple haze.  There are a lot of great resumes out there that just aren't a great fit. Putting together a team that embraces the haze will get your where you want to go faster and make the journey a lot more fun.