Throughout the year, I receive emails and phone calls from people and organizations looking for help with their End Game.
The End Game can be a business project, develop a high potential player, facilitate a leadership workshop, team building, strengthen their bench, create an extraordinary goal, yada yada yada.
Over the last six months, I’ve received call backs from people and organizations who reached out to me several years ago. For some reason, they did nothing and remain at the starting gate. In some cases, the bleeding and pain has gotten progressively worse since our first convo.
- Biz project is sitting on the shelf collecting dust.
- Sales – A few stars are crushing their numbers though the overall performance of the team is ho hum.
- People are leaving the company because they can’t stand working for their manager.
- Team is dysfunctional.
- Leaders are not leading.
- Projects are experiencing scope creep and go-live dates keep getting pushed out.
- An entrepreneur is still at the plateau.
How come they didn’t move forward? Maybe they thought they had more time?
Unfortunately, many are in the Land of Stuck.
It sucks being in the Land of Stuck! How do I know? I was there! You think of all the reasons not to do it now. Or, the situation will improve without changing a thing.
Things don’t get better on their own. You’ve got to commit.
At some point, you need to develop traction? What’s that? It’s the opposite of spinning your wheels. The mud on the tires looks cool though.
The following is a revised blog I wrote last year called “The First Step.” I hope this post creates the traction you need to move forward.
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There’s a principle of nature called structural tension. This concept says tension seeks resolution. Tension looks to resolve itself wherever there’s greater pull.
For example. Stretch out a rubber band. At the top is your goal and the bottom is your reality. Eventually, you’ll gravitate towards the place you’re more committed. Hopefully there’s a greater pull in the direction of your end game and you march forward.
Now, what happens to most? They’re jazzed to accomplish a goal, change the organization, or stretch their team in some way. The longer they wait, doubt creeps into the equation. An imaginary figure called the gremlin hops on their shoulder and whispers self defeating thoughts in their ear.
- I’ll do it next quarter.
- I’ll take one more course.
- Not sure we’ve got the budget.
- There’s too much to overcome.
- I’m not good enough.
- That problem leader will get better on their own.
- The sales team will get it right soon.
Bam! They instantly go from being excited about their end game to bursting their own bubble.
They get caught up examining all the steps they need to take. Their structural tension is resolved, although not in the direction they want to go. The one thing they fail to do is the most obvious, and at times the most challenging. They never take that important first step.
That wasn’t the case with Kim Bachstein. I recently met this energetic gift basket entrepreneur at a networking event. Kim is passionate about the service she provides clients. However, she also told me about a new charity organization she launched called the Angels That Care Foundation.
Kim had an idea to create a non-profit organization to change the lives of families in the Central New York area. She resolved the structural tension by doing one simple thing.
She took the first step. Each day, she takes one more step.
Today, Angels That Care Foundation is in multiple states sprouting up all over the country. To quote Kate Hudson’s character, Penny Lane from the film Almost Famous, “It’s all happening!” Please visit Kim’s site and spread the word to help others in our community.
What’s your end game?
Pick your ride, start the engine, and hit the gas. Take the first step and contact me today for a consultation.
I’m a Verizon guy. Though the video matched the feeling I wanted to project. 😉
Sometimes just starting, even when you don’t have all the structure figured out can get the engines rolling. Glad to hear you are a “Verizon guy.”
Structure? We don’t need no stinkin structure! Ha!
I concur Karin. Let’s make it up as we go along. Sort of like an experiment. 😉
Thanks for your comment Karin.
Hey Steve,
I wanted to stop by and show some support.
I enjoyed this post and can definitely relate. When it comes to building an online business I often hear from people who are discouraged that they aren’t getting the results. When I ask them what they’ve been doing I soon learn, not enough.
They are either swarming in information overload or they aren’t consistent with their work. Either way, they are dead before they’ve even gotten going good. Hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day, a month or a year so what makes you think you’ll have a successful business within that time frame? Hey, I’m just saying.
Enjoyed talking with you today and hope you’ve had a good one.
~Adrienne
P.S. By the way, you need to get a social sharing plug-in put up so we can share your post with our friends. If you need some help, give me a shout.
Thanks Adrienne. I enjoyed our convo!
Not sure what happened to my social sharing buttons. They’re back in place.
I agree. We have to be consistent and try the unknown!
You’re the best! 😉
I hate being stuck. It can be so paralyzing. And when I take a moment to pause and reflect on why I’m stuck, it is often due to the story I’ve been telling myself. So I channel my energy to tell myself a different story to renew and re-energize. Easier said than done! This is where I find support from others. Much better than turning my sorrow into something else. 🙂
Thanks for your comment Rodeth.
Myths are only true to the ones that believe them.
Thank You Steve for sharing our organization, Angels That Care Foundation, Inc.
We are a team of people working together (right here in CNY) helping others in our local community. We accept donations such as: toiletries, food pantry (non perishables), gently used clothing, furniture and appliances as well. We give these donations to people here in Syracuse and CNY who have nothing. We work with PEACE Inc, and a number of local churches and ministries that get these donations to the people who need them the most.
We couldn’t do this great work without our friends and clients of my main business (Kim’s Gourmet Gifts) which is a local gift basket company going into our 11th year. My clients and friends are always pulling together to make this world a better place. Giving back to your local community is rewarding on so many levels.
Making our world a better place is about the small things that we can all do that add up to Making a BIG difference in the lives of others.
I am very grateful to have found my personal purpose in Angels That Care Foundation.
Blessings to you all,
Kim Bachstein
Kim, thanks for the inspiration to write this post. Your story in regards to moving forward stands the test of time.
More often people want to perfect things and then start. But the process of perfection takes long by when they lose interest in the subject. Then they want to start something else and the same things happens again.
Perfection can never be achieved, so its best to start and work on improving stuff.
Ah yes Durga. Great point. The case of perfectionitis.
Thanks for your comment. Keep them coming!