We keep hearing we should prepare ourselves for “the new normal”. But we don’t know what this “new normal” is. Is uncertainty of the future keeping you in a holding pattern? Or are you trying something new in your personal or work life even if you’re not sure what the near- or long-term future holds?

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

Chinese Proveb

Plant now

In the “At the Table with Patrick Lencioni” podcast episodes 48: Plant the Friggin Tree and 49: Burn the Ships, Pat and his co-hosts talk about how in times of uncertainty organizations and people tend to wait for things to return to normal to take action. What they are seeing is their clients who are choosing a plan and acting on it are getting clarity. Once you get moving in a direction you can course correct as new information is available. They argue that you probably won’t regret the actions taken that lead to clarity, even if the actions aren’t exactly what is needed in the end.

The podcast hosts give an example of the NBA. Did the players know at the start of the quarantine that the season would resume? Those that chose a direction and practiced free-throws could improve that skill and be ready if the season resumed. Let’s say the season didn’t resume. Would they have regretted practicing? Probably not!

Although in this season there is uncertainty everywhere, the hosts discuss how there is always uncertainty. We can’t know what the future holds. “Normal” is filled with uncertainty, so waiting for things to get back to “normal” will only mean you won’t make any progress or advancement.

Prune

In the second podcast episode Pat and his co-hosts make a case for cutting out the things that are getting in our way of the new direction we are moving in. They use the example of an overgrown tree in one of their yards. The owner had no idea what kind of tree it was. Someone told him it was a peach tree and that he should try trimming it up. With one YouTube video as training he removed some limbs. The next year the tree produced wonderful peaches!

The advice “prune the limbs not bearing fruit” applies to fruit trees (duh) and to life. Is there something we are doing that is either getting in our way or not producing as much value as the new direction could? Consider trimming away these activities to make room for something better.

Burn the ships

You might be thinking it’s going to be hard to let go of a habit or activity that you’ve done for some time to pursue a path that’s not familiar. This is where ‘burn the ships’ comes in.

The hosts tell the story of Cortés, the conquistador and explorer from Spain that landed in Mexico. Just in case his crew had any doubts of doing what they came there to do Cortés set the ships on fire. No going back now!

In a similar but less flamey way, Pat and the podcast crew talk about having a ceremony to send off “the old way” and welcome the new way. They give the example of a wedding, and how it’s a way to say that the single lives of the couple are now in the past, and their married life can start.  Is there a ship you need to burn to be able to start off in a new direction?

engineer your life

  • Reflect and determine if you are waiting for more information on what normal will look like, or if you are taking action. If the former, is there an action you can take or a direction you can move in to improve your life now in preparation for the future? (Perhaps there is something you’ve been meaning to do like take up an exercise program, learn a new skill, or connect with people more.)
  • If you have picked a direction or action, what do you need to say goodbye to so you can put energy into this new thing?

References

Patrick Lencioni is the author of many books including The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Values, The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything in Business, and his latest, The Motive: Why So Many Leaders Abdicate Their Most Important Responsibilities. As you might glean from the titles of the books, his mission is about “changing the world of work so that more organizations can be more effective and less dysfunctional, and employees can be more fulfilled and less miserable.”

The podcast cited here is “At the Table with Patrick Lencioni.” The two episodes noted are 48: Plant Your Friggin Tree, and 49: Now Burn Your Ships, which aired July 2 and July 8, 2020 respectively. (Note: it’s a very popular podcast, but I can’t find it on TuneIn. It is on Stitcher and other platforms.)