014: Just Add Yet
Have you ever cooked pancakes?
At our house, we love making things from scratch when we can, but we’ve also used those pre-made mixes as well.
The images on the side of the box just make my mouth water. That huge stack of pancakes with the butter slightly melting on top and the syrup slowly dripping down along all of the edges and ending a pool of brown sugary goodness on the plate.
So, you open the box, measure out the mix, add water, mix together in a bowl and there you go. Pancakes. Right?
Well, for some reason, that creamy liquid in the bowl doesn’t quite resemble what I see on the package.
Why?
Because they aren’t pancakes… yet.
They obviously still need to be cooked on a skillet to become that delicious meal that you’ve already imagined devouring in your mind.
Yet.
I’ve really come to love that word.
I love it because, with just three little letters it packs an incredible punch.
It speaks of potential, of what could be. It breaks through barriers, both mental and physical.
Yet is a powerful word and should be added into our vocabulary more often.
Think of any of the barriers or limitations that you feel in your business. Many of them may feel definitive. They may just feel like how things are now and how they’re going to be in the future. There might be even a hopelessness regarding any change to the what things will look like down the road.
Maybe you’re struggling with a team member who just isn’t grasping something. A skill. A company value. Communication. You’re starting to believe that it’s just not going to work out with them.
And maybe you’re right. If you’ve done your due diligence and gone out of your way to try to understand and help, it’s possible that they just aren’t a good fit.
But before you throw in the towel, try using “yet” a little bit more in your company language.
Instead of “she just isn’t able to make rate”, add “…yet” at the end. And let yet guide you with questions like “what would have to happen to get her there?”. Maybe it’s a training issue. Maybe some miscommunication. Maybe struggles at home. If she has the desire, yet opens the door to further explore what might be missing.
Yet is like a foot that keeps a door from closing. It forces us to rethink, to explore, to question. Maybe it’s your people, maybe it’s a machine or process or software that isn’t cutting it right now.
Before you give up on it, let yet give you the push to dig a little deeper.
And in pushing deeper, you might, indeed find that the door should be shut. But you’ll have given yourself the chance to exhaust all options first with the hope that there is still value there that can be unearthed.
So where can you use yet this week? As you look at the challenges you’re facing, try adding it more into your vocabulary and see how it shifts the conversation.
As for those pancakes, they aren’t totally eaten… yet. But if you don’t hurry up and grab the last stack they will be.
I hope you’ve been getting value from these episodes. If you have, I’d love it if you left a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite player. It truly means a lot and lets me help even more people. Thanks so much.
Thanks for listening to today’s episode.
