Covid has left most of us a bit out of sorts. The rise and fall of lockdowns, uncertain futures and the unanswerable question of when things will get back to “normal”. This yearning for normalcy is ultimately a desire for solid ground under foot from which we can purposefully go forth into the world.
Yet even before COVID, for a large number of the organizations we work with, the search for solid ground was still a thing. We witnessed varying degrees of individual and organizational suffering stemming from not operating in line with their true selves or the organizations indisputable mission.
Forever surveying the competition, looking for experts to show them the way, or trying to imitate what they believed others were doing better than they were.
This underlying fear of missing out or taking the wrong path ultimately takes us away from ours, and into directions that cause strife, miscommunication and misalignment. The seemingly unlimited potentialities are blurring our path ahead. Overwhelming options. Endless means to our ends.
We wake up and find ourselves walking in shoes we can never own.
Consciously or not, we have a deep-seated drive to get back to our own truth and get back to what we signed up for. To get back to why we are in this at all. To get home.
Enter organizational homesickness.
While it can be a source of distress, it can also be a beacon. We only need to close our eyes, take a deep breath, and our bodies will tell us loud and clear when we feel stressed, anxious and out of focus. It will immediately let us know how far from home we truly are.
If we take the time to just sit in our thoughts, sit in our feelings, and sit in the pocket of our soul, we will know the way ahead. It is no longer a question of going out to find it, it is having the courage to go within.
So how can you help your organization find its way home? Is it in ensuring your management team is on the same page? Having the right people on the bus? Pairing down activities that are not truly serving your mission? Targeting the people who believe what you believe from both a hiring and marketing standpoint?
Finding your way home rarely requires you to do more. It is more often than not an exercise in doing less. Decluttering the organizational landscape. Stopping the search for “the” way and finding peace in yours.
In the end, only your way will lead you and your organization home.
Peter
P.S. I found myself smiling as I write this because I am absolutely not speaking from a place of mastery, but that of a person and an organization in the thick of finding our way. We’re right here with you! #embracethejourney
