It will be tested

“What gets said and what is done are two different things” a leader recently told me. The senior team were dealing with a challenging issue. People were finding themselves in difficult, contentious territory - Often directly opposed to each other. The issues must be addressed. There’s regulatory and governance consequences of not dealing with it. 

We’ve been working together for a while to build a high performance base for the team. Many of the ideals that have been discussed and agreed are now being tested in the heat of real issues that must be addressed and resolved. Some are feeling that people’s behaviour is inconsistent with the standards they are setting as a team.

This is reality. In any relationship of consequence there will be times when our commitment or clarity get tested. The test is a potential gift. When teams and individuals are able to process what is going on and learn from it, especially if they can do it cleanly - they’ll emerge with greater clarity and probably greater commitment too. 

It takes courage. It takes trust.

If you are currently experiencing challenging times with your team it’s useful to ask “What brought us together in the first place?”. If the fundamental reasons are still strong, that will help to sustain you in the difficult territory right now. You can emerge stronger, individually and together.