‘Can’t you speed it up?’

My phone battery died and the directions to the birthday party were on it. My son was impatient. But we had to wait, letting the charge seep into the phone.

This was opposite to a few hours earlier when the two of us were out in the rain. Water was pooling in a low spot threatening various construction materials. Armed with brooms and boots we sped up the water’s ability to find the drain. It would have found it on its own, but at a rate too slow for the amount of rain that was falling.

We could speed up the water, but not the battery charging..

Change is like this often. Some parts of it you can hurry along, others you can’t and you simply have to patiently wait. Knowing which is which is a critical leadership skill. And often it is different in different organisations.

Photo by Steve Johnson