A corporate pilot friend of mine once spent a week over Thanksgiving at an all-inclusive resort in the Bahamas. These types of resorts usually provide many different activities for their guests—kayaking, sailing, various workout activities, parasailing, scuba diving, etc. This establishment had one of the most unusual activities my friend had ever been offered—trapeze training. At first, he was hesitant to try the trapeze. He felt a little silly and a little nervous to be flying through the air with only his knees hooked around a bar. But eventually, his adventurous side got the best of him and he signed up for the class.
The instructor did not provide a lot of lecture on the finer points of trapeze work. It was a hands-on, learn-as-you-go type of experience. The instructor would begin to swing on one side of the trapeze. The guest would stand ready on the other side and wait for the instructor’s command to begin swinging on his or her side. My friend tried all sorts of tricks that involved letting go of his trapeze bar, flying through the air and grabbing onto the instructor, and then going back to his own side again. Of course, he often used the safety net below when he didn’t time the swing quite right.
At the end of the week, the class members put on a show for the other guests at the resort. Later, my friend told me the scariest and most exhilarating part of the performance (other than the spandex tights they forced him to wear) was when he had to let go to move back and forth between the bars. The height wasn’t bad. Swinging wasn’t bad, but letting go was hard. But it was also letting go that made all the difference. Watching trapeze artists who never let go wouldn’t be much of a show.
Author and speaker Marilyn Ferguson said, “It’s not so much that we’re afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it’s that place in between that we fear. It’s like being between trapezes … There’s nothing to hold on to.” Leaders and team members often feel like my friend between trapezes. We have a hard time breaking with the command-and-control routine. We fear that if we let go, we might look foolish, the team might fail, or the organization may fall. The solution to this conundrum is to set up a safety net. Let me explain what I mean by that.
A safety net can be any number of things that make people feel safe to try new things. Here are a few safety nets that have worked for my team and helped them to reach and grow:
• Call it a pilot or beta program—if everyone knows you are running a trial period, people are more courageous about trying something new.
• Set realistic goals for the pilot program. Targeting a success rate at or below 50 percent helps people open up to new ideas. They understand it’s not going to be perfect the first time around.
• Build in review loops for the pilot program to allow time and space for adjustments and modifications.
• Establish a set timeframe to help people understand that the project or initiative has a defined beginning and end.
• Offer incentives—provide motivators for people who are willing to step outside the box.
• Let people run with their passion and talent.
• Provide support. An encouraging word from the boss goes a long way in helping people experiment a little.
• Praise failure. If team members see you react positively and learn from other projects that haven’t gone perfectly, they will be more likely to explore new assignments.
As you encourage your team members to break with the status quo or ineffective traditions, remember the high trapeze and offer a couple of safety nets so people are willing to let go and progress beyond their previous limits.
