IT Solutions Providers: Which Lake Are You In?

By Israel Lang, Executive Consultant, HTG Peer Groups

When I was in college, I spent my summers working at a YMCA camp. I was responsible to keep all the trails, playing fields, and general areas mowed. I also did some general maintenance stuff around the camp as well. Occasionally, I would get to do some work down by the lake. It was here that I would witness hundreds of kids get in a canoe, many of them for the first time.

Most of the time, I could tell who the first timers were. They would be the ones who generally just went in circles. The veterans would be across the lake before the newbies even made it out of the shallow waters. The difference between the two groups of canoers, besides some experience and confidence, was that the more experienced canoers agreed on where they were going and worked together to get there.

Today, I see the lessons I observed in my time at the YMCA camp play out in the consulting and mentoring that I am privileged to do with clients throughout the world. I sometimes witness organizations that are struggling to get out of the shallow waters. In other cases, I see companies who are stuck in the middle of the lake and are struggling to determine where they are going beyond that point. Finally, I see companies that make it across the lake. They celebrate the successful journey and the achievement of their goal. However, they also begin scanning the horizon for the next place to explore, the next goal to achieve.

Please log in or register below to read the full article.