There once was a client who wanted to manage every moment of the training we had scheduled. She required an agenda down to the minute and when the day arrived, she gave me feedback at every break. I found the level of oversight challenging and proudly I rose to meet it.
This week’s customer was nothing like this. She arrived just as the training was scheduled to begin and forgot to bring the projector she had promised. After a fleeting, wild eyed moment she shrugged it off and said, “I’ll be right back.” Though hers is a looser style then I prefer it may be the key to how this company is managing explosive growth:
Sloppy success is better than mediocre perfection.
The employees of this tech firm weren’t flying by the seats of their pants, they seemed to be soaring. I noticed the group’s synergy, intensity and intelligence. One participant found that work lately was chaotic, but it was a productive chaos. What a great phrase.
Productive chaos is making the best of a constantly shifting work environment. It’s breathing through the anxiety that comes with ambiguity. It is a sustained state of flexibility.
Have you ever been in a state of productive chaos? Have you ever mislabeled it as a bad thing? It may not be a preferred experience, but maybe a necessary one to make it to the other side of the changes in your life.
What do you think? I’d love to hear from you.
Sloppy success!