Help, my kettle is overflowing!

Colleagues,

I’ve mentioned before that Pam is a coffee connoisseur. So, we have a nice electric kettle with a unique spout design that produces a steady stream of water to pour over the coffee grounds. The stem design is unique and no matter how much I tilt the kettle, the amount of water coming through stays the same. In fact, water will spill out the top of the kettle before the flow rate from the stem changes! Yes, that’s a direct observation =;^}
 
That flow rate of water is like our capacity to change and grow. There is a cap on how much we can learn and execute on new things without being overwhelmed. No matter how much we leaders push, extol, encourage, or preach, people have only so much capacity for change and growth at a given time.
 
Try this:

1. Put a number on people’s capacity for change. Ten, for example.
2. Account for the disruption from both internal and external forces that consumes that capacity. It might be low (2) or high (7).
3. Subtract the disruption amount (2 or 7) from the total capacity for change (10).
4. What’s left over is a measure of the change people can benefit from before they become overwhelmed. 

 
In other words, it is the maximum flow rate before water begins spilling out the top of the kettle.
 
The actual number is not important. What’s important is that we stop and think about the demands on our people and adjust our support and expectations accordingly.
 
Cheers!
 
Frederick