Business Black Box

GEOFF WASSERMAN
PUBLISHER
BUSINESS BLACK BOX
I
had a baseball coach in high school who, when he saw any of us standing around, would shout,
“Get moving, you’re not here to kill grass and make my turf brown!”
People who stay in one place too long, get offended, or refuse to recognize their own
pride usually get their toes stepped on by those following a leader’s vision. For a vision to be
fulfilled, leaders need people willing to constantly be moving, growing, changing, challenging “the
way we always did things” and carving out new ground of opportunity and new turf. Those who
complain about their toes getting stepped on are usually spending far too much time attaching their
self-worth to the turf they’ve firmly planted their own feet on.
Problem is, when leaders cast vision, those called to the leader respond by blazing trails to fulfill
the vision. The only way new ground gets plowed is by digging up old turf. Progressive, growing
organizations have leaders who are constantly willing to allow people to take risks, challenge old
paradigms and build new bridges to the future. But you can’t build two sets of bridges simultaneously,
in opposite directions. It drains too many resources, zaps too much energy and sucks too
much life and joy out of the journey.
In large organizations especially, when teams begin building bridges to the future, the hope is that
everyone will cross the bridge. In reality, not everyone will. As a leader, the easiest way to figure out
CEOS
TO BUILD A VISION, GET
THEM MOVING
who’s on board, who has their own agenda and who can’t go with you is to see who’s trying to build
a bridge between where you are and where you used to be. In other words, they’re building a second
bridge to create a path—a way for them to stay the way they are and not work with those you’ve
brought in to effect change. You can’t afford two crews, so make a decision which crew to pull, and
give everyone the opportunity to get on the same bridge-building project.
As a leader, you aren’t responsible for the feelings and frustrations of those who feel their toes are
being stepped on, if you’ve clearly articulated the vision and given them every opportunity to get off
the old turf and start building toward the future. You are, however, responsible for recognizing who’s
complaining about their toes getting stepped on, and helping them see that, in reality, they are getting
their toes stepped on by the very people you’ve put in place to bring the organization to the place
you envision.
The other responsibility you have, to them and to the team, is to give them only one choice, and
give it to them with compassion: They can stay if they get their toes out of the way, off of the turf they
think is theirs, and get their feet moving on the new bridge. If not, that’s okay. There will always be
people assigned to different stages of your vision who helped you get here, but can’t help you get there.
People who stay in one place too long are the people who get their toes stepped on because they’re
standing idle, pointed in the wrong direction, and a vision only waits so long.
About the author...
A native of Montreal, Canada,
Geoff started the company in
1999. A successful entrepreneur
with a heart to help others
grow and succeed, Geoff’s
career includes seven years
of sports marketing with the
Montreal Expos and Atlanta
Braves, as well as seven years
as a Managing Director in the
financial services industry with
two fortune 500 companies.
Geoff spends the majority of
his business time advising and
consulting business owners and
leaders to develop strategies
and practical marketing,
operational and leadership
solutions to help organizations
grow and reach their full
potential. Geoff resides in
Greenville with his three
children: Noah, Rebecca, and
Alana.
For more on this topic visit InsideBlackBox.com/ceos
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