There are times in life where you have to trust without knowing the end result. Trust that the people leading you have only your best interests at heart. That is very easy when you know all the twist and turns you are going to take to get from A to B and the road is laid out in front of you so you can see all the speed bumps ahead of you.
Not so easy, when you are starting at A, cannot see the road for all the fog and are not sure whether B is even out there.
I am not what I would call a very heavy process person, yes it’s necessary and yes it’s needed but I typically equate the level of processes I follow to that what is necessary to accomplish what must be done. In other words…
Processes should not hinder People.
So if we need to Trust the Process, then what are we really trusting?
The People.
And that’s where the crux comes from, these people that maybe you have worked with for many years but perhaps have been thrown a new curveball to work through or perhaps it is your first interaction with a new team member or better yet a new coach. Regardless of the role, you are now being asked to trust this person and the path they are leading you down – perhaps they have been down it themselves, perhaps they have lead others, better yet perhaps they are side-by-side with a lantern walking down the path with you, stumbling through the dark trying to find the right way.
So yes, you need to decide whether you can and will be able to Trust this Process and;
- Not criticize when things go wrong.
- Work with the Process (read: People) and not against it.
- Take the curves hard, but learn how to handle them better the next time.
- Lean into the Process (again read: People) and ask for support, suggestions, ideas and feedback.
- Don’t engage in the back channels, bring them to the front and keep the discussion going.
As I write this, there are a slew of people gearing up for AltMBA3 January Sessions and I remember this phrase of Trust the Process when all around us we were trying to figure out what was really required, what does it take to get my post featured, how much SLACK collaboration should I do, what people’s backgrounds are, do we follow the same process each and every week, what should I have read, what should I be reading, you know I have a full-time job right?
In the end, like everything else, Trust the Process and know when I say Trust the Process – Trust the People – your team members, your coaches and your larger team.
Just as you should in every interaction of your daily life, Trust the Process and have fun doing it.