Organizations have to deal with contradictory and opposing forces.

If one person emphasizes the short term, there will quickly be another one mentioning the long term. Once a product starts to become exploited it is already time to explore if it still is the right product. Focusing on customers is there to create satisfaction with the product and the organization, however, it also means that team members will soon start to need attention too in order to perform effectively.

It is a constant push and pull.

The pressure someone puts up will be either welcomed or resisted. In either case, it creates a movement in one direction. That’s because of the focus and attention given to the pressure.

When it is a pressure we see, it is a pressure we get.

The challenge leaders experience is to establish an equilibrium between these forces. One that benefits from both forces enabling the system to function using them. These forces belong to the system and allow it to thrive.

The trap is the desire to resist or follow the move. It is a move that is only using what is immediately visible, that is what the focus is pulled towards. It easily leads to a blockage.

It is emphasizing an either-or solution, one that mainly serves the side establishing the pressure. That is what they see.

The real question is what type of equilibrium serves the organization and what it seeks to create.