“You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute.”~Tina Fey
Tina Fey is loved (and laughed at) by many, many people. And rightly so. She’s funny – hilarious even – and smart. And gutsy. Which is why she has every right to remind us to not overthink the waterslide, but to, instead, go down the chute.
It can be easy to overthink. It can be easy to pause at the top of the waterslide – or the leadership decision – and think it through and through. It can be easy to let fear or uncertainty overtake us and overcome us. To ponder the possibilities of things going wrong or not being up to the big splash at the bottom.
We have to go down the chute.
We have to be willing to make a big splash, to dive in and get wet, and to try new things. Many of the best ideas come from diving in and whooshing down the chute. Many of the best ideas come from thinking them through – up until a point – and then taking the chance and plunging in and trying it.
We coach our clients to do the research and ask the questions, to test out their assumptions and know as much as they can know. And then we coach them to trying the new way, taking the chance, and going down the waterslide – maybe kicking and screaming, maybe hands up and laughing all the way – but in it. Not overthinking.
Where have you been overthinking? Where do you need to go down the chute?
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If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.
For support in diving in, contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.
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