Did you “go on a lion hunt” as a child?
Going on a lion hunt.
Gonna catch a big one.
I’m not scared.
Uh oh! A log.
Can’t go over it.
Can’t go under it.
Can’t go through it.
Gotta go around it!
As children, we knew the best way was around, but as adults, we often get to a barricade and spend incredible amounts of time, energy, and money trying to go through it. It’s the shortest way!
- I’ll just keep telling this person that they need to make the change.
- I’ll just keep sending emails reminding people to do the thing they aren’t doing.
- I’ll force and fight and talk my way through this.
Quite often, our best way forward, and perhaps our only way to reach our destination, is to step backwards and find another path.
- I’ll sit down and listen to what is holding this person back from making the change.
- I’ll send an email asking what is standing in the way and what they need.
- I’ll build trust, safety, and the relationship.
It can be challenging to realize that we may benefit from stepping back. It can be hard to figure out what path to take when you don’t even know which ones exist. Instead, we keep hammering away. We start looking for tips, tools, and techniques for breaking down barricades. A one-hour workshop must be all I need to learn how to break down this wall!
I love helping people step back and see the other paths that will take them to their destination. It’s incredibly rewarding to see someone “put down their hammer,” take a deep breath, step down a different path and start to see small wins almost immediately. To watch hesitant steps become more confident, then turn to leaps and bounds.
When you’re banging your head against the wall, keep in mind that your path forward may be behind you.