Time for a well-earned breather
When climbing a mountain, the ultimate goal is clear – to reach the top. The most efficient, safest routes are identified, so the journey can be as smooth as possible. There are points where speed is important, where conditions are poor and pausing too long is hazardous. However, a vital part of this endeavour is taking breaks to reenergise and assess the path in front.
Embrace the plateau
Embracing these plateau periods demonstrates that although constant progress to the summit might seem the best way to reach it, taking a moment to rest and consult the map is necessary to sustain the effort. This principle can be directly related to running a business. Although, continued growth may seem the best indicator of success, this is not realistic. Utilising calmer periods to evaluate and plan ahead are enormously underrated parts of the calendar.
Working within a company may not be as physically exerting as scaling a mountain, but it is nonetheless exhausting. Using plateau periods to reenergise facilitates more effective progress in the future. Non-stop exertion will only damage the organisation and eventually lead to burnout. Think about how you are feeling. Consider how your colleagues and employees might be feeling. Pushing forward without rest is unsustainable, particularly given the challenging past couple of years.
Think ahead
Alongside the opportunity for rest, embracing a plateau also presents a great chance to improve your organisation, ready for the next steps. Evaluate your business:
· What elements are working most effectively and could be brought to the foreground?
· What things are suboptimal and need to be revised, or even scrapped?
· What do you think is missing that could take your organisation to the next level?
This assessment is too often forgotten and lost amongst the hustle-and-bustle of daily work. The improvements you make during these calmer moments, may not show instant results but over time will make your processes leaner and more mature. Changes you could consider might include updating your infrastructure, securing your supply chain to meet increased demand, or training staff so they are prepared for fresh initiatives.
Strategise for the future during plateau periods. The chances are, that if you do not invest sufficient time into this planning, your actions will be too thinly considered and ineffective. By thinking thoroughly about the opportunities ahead, what taking them might look like, what not taking them could look like, you will make your progress more efficient and sustainable. Think of it like tackling a particularly treacherous ascent, you wouldn’t steam straight in without checking your ropes and footholds.
Internal improvement = external success
Stephen Covey, influential thought leader and businessman, suggests that internal victories precede external triumphs (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). To me, this seems in parallel with the embrace the plateau mindset, where improving your organisation from within will, in time, demonstrate greater success in the market. Don’t wait for the cracks to appear before you begin this transformative process, delaying too long might yield an irreparable situation.
Therefore, embracing the plateau is concerned with the past, the present and the future. Recognise your progress, celebrate it. Evaluate your current situation. Identify how you wish to advance. You’ve done a fantastic job to be running a functioning business, keep your wider vision in mind and don’t be overrun by the day-to-day challenges.
The ascent so far has been a test, take a moment, look back and enjoy the view…
If you would like to discuss any of the topics covered in this article, please book a FREE, no-commitment discovery call with me.