Some of my teams hit an emotional wall after their first year of implementing EOS. Teams that begin with many large issues to resolve, can make significant progress in the first year and, because of what is still left to accomplish, still feel unsatisfied and a bit discouraged. It’s not unlike the marathoner who, after completing 10 miles, realizes there are still 16 miles to go. If you are feeling a bit exhausted from the first 10, the prospect of running out the final 16 can feel overwhelming. Dan Sullivan calls it “the gap” between where we are and where we want to be.
This is the moment when celebrating our progress becomes very strategic. Taking time to fully acknowledge progress can supply us with the inspiration we need to do the next 10 miles. Pick the few, most important things to do in the next year to continue making great progress. At the end of this year, we’ll pause and celebrate again, and now, with only 6 miles to go, and a lot of progress behind us, we’ll have the necessary inspiration and energy to sprint to the finish line.
The truth is, we’ll just keep on running and making progress, in short, meaningful, energizing spurts. It will become fun and the rewards will become significant for all to enjoy.
Run, celebrate, run, celebrate, run … enjoy the race.
