#55 strength

I have a far greater respect for physical therapists now that I have been through therapy myself.  My doctor's order said little more than "left shoulder impingement" and it was up to my therapist to design an in-home exercise program and to lead therapy sessions with exercises tailored specifically to my pain management and rehabilitation needs.  Each time I went to see her, she changed up the specifics and equipment in a seemingly effortless way.  

When I asked how she knew what to do, she told me that there were four stages that she works through: reducing pain, increasing range of motion, abduction and then finally strength.  I was struck at the parallels to organizational healing.  When there is an institutional problem, the temptation is to immediately work toward regaining strength, but that can only be done after the pain is first healed.  I like thinking about strength being last. 

I also took comfort in knowing there was some framework for my treatment, a "method to the madness" as it were.  Sharing even a simple structure or game plan with your staff can help them to conceptualize where you are going and perhaps even give them patience along the journey to get there.  It aligns expectations and adjusts hopes to fit reality.

"Left shoulder impingement" is about the equivalent of the job description people are given when they take a newly-created position.  The organization counts on their inherent knowledge to know what to do first, to evaluate what is/isn't working, and to course correct from there. I suspect that most people who start a new role bring with them a reservoir of experience and knowledge that they can draw from -- even if it doesn't seem that way at times.  Sharing with staff a simple framework of how you are working toward strength can give a reassuring context for their unknown.

Hopefully you will have the same success in your organization as my therapist did with my shoulder!

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
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