Stop Juggling: Why It's Time to Change the Game When Things Get Tough

“I don’t get it… what else can I do?”

Not a simple question, and it digs into a challenge I’ve seen time and time again in business, especially when the going gets tough. When pressure mounts - whether from declining profits, unhappy stakeholders, or stressed teams - the instinct for many leaders is to do?more. Add more tasks, stretch resources further, and push their teams harder.

But here’s the thing:?doing more is not the answer. In fact, it's often the exact opposite of what you should do.

Instead of doing?more, what if we focused on doing?what matters - and doing it well? This doesn’t just apply to our workload or priorities. It runs much deeper. It touches everything, from how we execute our strategy to how we behave and lead. And most critically, it applies to our?culture.

The Culture Conundrum: Underinvesting When It Matters Most

Right now, there’s a trend I find deeply concerning:?a massive underinvestment in culture, teams, people, and even strategy. At the very moment when these things matter most - when people are overextended and stressed, when creativity is needed to drive solutions - these vital aspects are being pushed aside.

Let me give you an analogy to illustrate this.

Juggling Glass Balls: The Risk of Doing More

Imagine you’re juggling six glass balls. Each ball represents something critical in your business:

1. People
2. Product or service
3. Customers
4. Infrastructure
5. Profit
6. Stakeholders

Now, imagine things are getting tough. Customers are pulling back, profit is declining, and stakeholders are growing increasingly frustrated. Your instinct may be to?juggle faster - add more to your plate, try harder to keep everything in the air. But let’s be honest:?you can’t keep juggling.

Here’s why:

• If you do nothing, the balls will eventually drop, and most of them will shatter.
• If you ask each ball to expand - telling your team to “do more with less” - they’ll explode under the pressure, because they’re already stretched too thin.
• If you put some balls down, you regain control - but which ones do you put down? Make the wrong choice, and the consequences could be devastating.

The critical decision here is figuring out?which balls to put down, and for how long. Too often, the first ball that’s dropped is?people. Teams get stretched, morale slips, and the support people need is withdrawn. And while this may seem like a ‘good financial choice’ in the short term, it’s a dangerous one.

The Ripple Effect of Underinvesting in People

When you choose to underinvest in your people, the consequences ripple across every area of your business. Quality suffers, both in product and service. Customers feel the impact, and they start to disengage. Profit takes another hit. Stakeholders? Even less satisfied.

It’s a vicious cycle. And it starts with the choice to let go of the people ball - often when people need support more than ever.

I’m not saying this is an easy decision. Every ball you put down, even temporarily, has consequences. But deprioritizing your people and culture at the exact moment when they’re most needed has far-reaching effects that are almost always underestimated.

When you neglect your culture and your team, you create inefficiency, burnout, and disconnection. And when those things take root, your entire business suffers.

What If You Stopped Juggling?

So, what’s the solution? How do you keep all those glass balls intact without stretching yourself and your team to the breaking point?

Here’s a radical thought:?what if you stopped juggling altogether?

What if you chose to?change the game?

• Instead of reacting to the pressure by adding more, what if you got clear on?what truly matters?
• What if you invested in?strategy?that prioritizes?doing the right things well - instead of trying to do everything at once?
• What if, instead of seeing your people as just another ball in the air, you centered your approach around?culture?and?team investment?

When you choose not to juggle but instead to?focus on what matters, you open up the space to reimagine how you approach tough times. You have the opportunity to strengthen your team, to inspire creativity, and to create a culture where people feel supported, valued, and ready to take on challenges.

Changing the Game: Prioritizing What Matters

Let’s face it: things will get tough. That’s a given in business. But the choice is yours - will you keep adding more to your already full plate, or will you take a step back and focus on the areas that will actually make a difference?

Here’s what I know:?prioritizing people and culture is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. When you invest in your team, when you support them through challenges, when you create an environment where they can thrive - everything else begins to fall into place.

The product improves.

The customer experience improves.

Profit returns.

Stakeholders become advocates again.

So, the next time you feel the weight of those glass balls, ask yourself:?what if I stopped juggling and chose to change the game instead?

Now here’s a question for you: Are you ready to stop juggling and start focusing on what truly matters? Let’s talk about how you can create a strategy that prioritizes your people, culture, and long-term success. Schedule a 15min call with me.

Sandy

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Hi, ?? ?I’m Sandy

I’m all about helping leaders and teams unlock their strengths, challenge the status quo, and push beyond what they thought possible.

As a strengths-based executive coach and strategist, I partner with forward-thinkers to create future-ready strategies, teams, and organisations. ?? Hit the bell to stay in the loop ?? Subscribe to my LinkedIn newsletter ?? Let’s talk Different by Design?solutions: Strategy & strengths workshops, team transformation, executive coaching, and keynotes.

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