How does your team navigate mud season?
It’s that time of year in Colorado: mud season. The trails are a mess. Snow melts during the day, freezes overnight, then thaws again, leaving a thick, sticky sludge in its wake.
Example: see the picture below.
The rule of the trail is walk through the mud, not around it.
Step off to the side, and you widen the trail, trample new growth, and cause long-term damage. So, you lace up the right boots, accept the mess, and keep moving forward.
As annoying as mud season can be—and it’s definitely annoying, especially when you have a dog—it’s temporary.
Before and after each muddy stretch, the ground is solid. And as for that muddy patch, then sun comes out and the trail dries up…
and then it snows again.
Teams go through their own mud seasons too, those messy, in-between phases where things feel unclear, frustrating, or just plain hard. A reorg, a big project that’s stuck, a leadership transition—whatever the cause, the ground gets … mucky … and the instinct is to find a way around it.
But the best teams? The most aligned teams? They step through the mud. They know the messy middle is part of the journey. They come prepared, support each other through the tough spots, and trust the process.
The teams that do this well:
- Anticipate where the muddy spots will be
- Show up prepared with the right mindset and tools
- Keep moving, knowing solid ground is ahead
So when your team hits a muddy stretch, what do you do? Keep moving? Get stuck? Or try to avoid it altogether?
Looking to increase the cohesion, trust, and impact of your leadership team? Reach out and let’s discuss The Compass Team Experience and how I can help.
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