‘Tidying Up’ Our Teams: Making Space to Move Forward
We have a lot of physical stuff that we’re storing. That’s made even more apparent by the recent enthusiasm for “tidying up,” or taking stock of our things and disposing of items we no longer need, made popular by Japanese organizational consultant and author Marie Kondo.
We also store plenty of digital stuff on thumb drives and in the cloud. We have limited space there, too, and often have to organize and delete items to make room for new documents and media.
Emotional and mental storage take up brain space. We have things—happy memories, important knowledge, ideas, social nuances—we want to remember. We forget things when we try to store too much. Perhaps we make room by meditating, taking a walk, talking with a friend or journaling.
Taking stock of our stuff—organizing, decluttering, making space—is an important part of our lives, and that goes for our teams and organizations, too.
In today’s world, the best leaders encourage those around them to regularly evaluate what they’re holding on to and, more importantly, what they need to let go of. What parts of our processes are running smoothly? What parts do we need to scrap?
This commitment to assessing our “storage” and getting rid of what’s no longer working allows us to move forward. It makes us more efficient and keeps our eyes focused on what’s next.
So, what are you storing? And what should you let go of?
Jason V. Barger is a globally celebrated keynote speaker, leadership coach and author of Thermostat Cultures, Step Back from the Baggage Claim and ReMember. He is founder of Step Back Leadership Consulting, a Columbus-based company that works with businesses and organizations worldwide. Connect via email at jason@JasonVBarger.com or on social media at @JasonVBarger.
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