Three simple words, which in differing orders, can negatively impact a wide range of people across your organisation, significantly damaging momentum. 

Short statements or questions which can silently create blockers, demotivate, or even exit your future talent, generating serious drag on your business potential.

Recognising the signs, tackling the challenge and catalysing positive engagement can swiftly arrest the situation and accelerate momentum.

This is it!

Are people in your organisation, experienced and valued people, telling themselves, this is it? Are they simply clinging on to what they have and looking to coast through their last few, or potentially not even just a few, years? 

Who could blame them? They might feel they have achieved everything they want or sadly can, perhaps feeling the world has changed around them and as a result, have no desire to learn any ‘new tricks’. With balance in their life and comfortably handling what is being asked of them by the organisation, they represent a safe pair of hands. 

Is that really what the organisation wants, after a significant long term investment in them and how much of an enabler of this situation is it? 

In the modern business environment can you afford to have people who, whilst not passengers, are more focused on their end state, than your, current or future objectives?

While acknowledging that they may not be looking to give everything they once did, is the environment such that they are  encouraged to share all that knowledge and experience of the business, industry and clients with others. 

Is there a workplace of psychological safety, valuing what they can give back as much as what they give and encouraging them to really question what went before in the search of something or someone better.

Are they still being challenged, stretched and encouraged to continue to push on and develop themselves? New projects, different staff, a change in responsibilities?

Are roles and responsibilities revisited in a way that brings elements of freshness and drives new enthusiasm in the day to day? Is there encouragement to embrace the new, step out of their comfort zone, or just continue doing what they have always done?

History is littered with success stories of ‘late bloomers’ so it is time to reignite the flame inside rather than just let the embers slowly burn out. 

Focus attention on remotivating, inspiring and helping your people build a real and powerful legacy from all their talent and experience.

Is this it?

Are your people, often the younger members of your team, asking themselves this question?

Is there little or no opportunity? Are they going to be developed? If so by whom? Do they have a real opportunity to progress? Are they simply waiting for those ahead of them to move on, step aside, all while witnessing them protecting their position in the meantime?

Are they realising the position they are waiting for is not what they want and may not even exist by the time they get there!

PYP has too often worked with senior leaders who are keeping people around them who they believe cannot replace them to prevent them being challenged. More worrying is they seem genuinely surprised when informed it is their responsibility to do exactly that!

If you want people to question why and bring ‘fresh’ ideas then you need to give them the platform to be heard whilst remembering, to them, they are just, ideas.

Is behaviour in your organisation shutting down opportunity for others, preventing their growth and leading them to seek opportunities elsewhere. Without seeking out, developing and giving your talent opportunities, potentially great people are too often gone, before it is even recognised they were there!

It this is!

One for the Star Wars fans, however not without value. 

What is the ‘It’ in your business and is everyone aligned to it? When people get together regardless of how, when, where or why, are they clear on what the outcome must achieve in terms of overarching objective?

Is there a ‘force’ within your business that remains untapped because it is simply not aligned, with either your people, your clients or the environment in which you operate? 

Are you maximising the combination of experience with enthusiasm, challenge and the pursuit of opportunity?

Are people operating in, or learning from, the past, providing new perspectives to build momentum in your business?

Your ‘It’ is not the words on an email footer or a poster on the wall it is what is lived, focused on everyday, what binds people together.

So what is the focus that people are aligned to? When you are next in the lift, on a call, or perched on their desk, ask them!