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Monday, October 21, 2013

FenceMoving

Dr. John Horn (whom I consider a mentor) offers sage advice to those of us who find ourselves in roles of leadership:  

“Don’t go moving fences until you know why they're there.”  

JH's admonition rings true with me from my experience as a organizational leader.  

Fences exist for numerous reasons: boundary setting, to hold something in, to keep something out, warning, aesthetics, protection.  

Boundaries, parameters, beliefs, cultures – FENCES – are almost always the result of hours, days, months, and years of labor and negotiated agreements.

 "Fences" sometimes need to moved.  Before that takes place, however, we ought to take careful assessment of the agreements that forged their original placement and the beneficiaries of their current location.  

Only after we have a full understanding of the current placement history, and only after we have made a sound case for changing the location, should we engage in "fence moving."


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