The team have been through a lot, especially recently. New launches, management changes, and requests for analysis just begin to tell the story. As I consider the toll of travel and the time away from family and friends, I see a delayed sequence of effort to change (benefits) unfolding.
A good idea two weeks ago is now seeing the light of day. Issues that surfaced almost three weeks ago are still being worked. While there is progress, there are still outstanding cases so one cannot declare victory. Even simple things on how we communicate are slowly bedding themselves into the normal routine.
I find myself increasingly patient with the pace of change. It is not what I would prefer. It does reflect the ability of the organization to move. Too often, I have fought it, demanding something faster. In the end, others felt bruised and battered. The frustration was overwhelming. Having let go, remembering Sister O’Doherty’s wisdom that a group is what a group is, I now find myself focusing on telling our story.
There are exceptions in life where the sequence unfolds in sudden steps. I look at the lives of others before me and I can see clear turns. Paul talked about one event and fundamental shift in his life this way; “I started preaching this life-change—this radical turn to God and everything it meant in everyday life—right there in Damascus, went on to Jerusalem and the surrounding countryside, and from there to the whole world.” (Acts 26.20)
As I look at the turns we are making, I am reminded that change sequence requiring the following elements.
First, it requires a willingness to do something different. Embracing more is intentional.
Second, it requires that one work with others. A group silently says what and whom it is by how it behaves.
Third, the speed of sequence rest in a combination group conviction with the two steps above. This combination unleashes the ability to reach beyond the past.
Today is wide open for change. We will tell our story in the sequence of our actions.
