If you recall, the outcome of the big chicken massacre was a traumatized rooster (Oden) and an unscathed hen (we named her Sally the Survivor). The end result of one hen and a feisty rooster is an oversexed hen. I needed to solve my immediate problem: finding more hens. Since I have Icelandic chickens, breeding with other types of chickens isn’t an option. So, I did what everyone does when faced with a problem these days and turned to social media. In my Icelandic Chicken Mama Facebook group, I asked if anyone had any hens I could buy in my local area. Fortunately, there was one woman who agreed to sell me some of her hens though the price was a bit steep. We did the exchange in the parking lot of Buy Buy Baby in Clackamas, Oregon.
I drove them home and planned on waiting until after dark to introduce the hens to their new home and family, but then changed my mind and decided to give them a few hours to acclimate prior to heading to bed for the evening. Well, that was quite an experience. Oden, the rooster, was overwhelmed with all his new options, and Sally was less than pleased to have to share Oden’s attention. I have a video of this introduction if you are looking for a little chicken entertainment.
Now, I wasn’t excited about paying what I paid for my hens, but the reality was that I needed to solve my short-term issue in order to make sure Sally survived. I considered my options – purchasing chicks, purchasing eggs or paying an arm and a leg for hens. I picked the best of the less than ideal options and moved toward implementation.
I’m sure there are many of us who haven’t liked our options over the past 16 months. Wearing a mask, social distancing, not seeing friends, not traveling, cooking all meals at home, etc. But one thing I’ve learned as an adult is we often have to make hard decisions based on the current situation we are facing.
When I’m implementing EOS with a client, I work to help them get better in three areas: Vision, Traction and Healthy. Vision means that everyone is clear on where the organization is going and how it will get there. Traction means no matter where you look in the organization, you see people executing on that vision with discipline and accountability. Healthy means transforming the leadership team into a cohesive, fun-loving group of people who genuinely like working together.
Guess which one is the hardest to do? Yep – transforming the leadership team into a cohesive group of people who are willing to be open and honest with one another. Conflict is difficult for most people, and as a result, they avoid it. The sad reality is that avoiding it doesn’t make it go away. In fact, in many ways, it festers and ends up causing more issues than you can imagine. Engaging in a lively debate is critical to working through the issues facing an organization. If your leadership team can’t engage in those conversations, the decisions that are being made may be taking you farther from what you are trying to achieve, not closer.
If you sense that your team is not making the hard decisions because they are avoiding conflict, you could be heading for trouble. If you are ready to take the bold steps to work through those issues but you aren’t sure where to start, I can help you. Making the difficult decisions now will help position the organization for growth in the future. Are you ready for a new future? Email me now and we can start working on achieving it today.
Making the Hard Decisions Even When You Don’t Like Your Options
