7.0 Lost in a maze of confusion
The discomfort of being pushed to let go, tensions in the team, missing the Christmas party - and an idea to mark this ending by walking from Frome to Weston Super Mare!
This post is the ninth in the Snakeskin series: opening up a live, ongoing conversation between myself and
exploring the intricacies of stepping back from a company I started, through the medium of WhatsApp voicenotes. You can explore the whole series here, or find out more about the decision to step back from my role at Huddlecraft, here.Hi folks,
Today’s instalment includes more about the ongoing tensions between preparing to step back whilst continuing to play my role in the present and look to the future.
Some tensions also came up in the team this time, although now I’m putting together this post and looking back on them retrospectively, I can reaaally see how these tensions led directly to some of the richest and most honest chats we’ve had as a team that have been essential for building the trust we need in this transition. That’s part of the beauty of this reflective process: I’m making space to see proof of the hunches!
Also, as I look at things from a birds eye view I think it’s remarkable how harmonious things feel for us in the team right now, given everything we’re trying to tackle. And I feel I can actually enjoy the harmony because I know we’re all willing and able to ‘go there’ when something does come up, and that when we do it’s productive rather than draining or distracting.
So, huge gratitude today for being part of this team, at this time, going through this process.
Zx
Confusion, discomfort and tensions in the team
Zahra: “Today was the first time I felt almost pushed by a member of the team, to let go. Some of the discomfort just comes from the confusion.. I need to let go but I need to not let go, because I need to still play my role now.”
Zahra: “There had been quite a bit of tension amongst us. We did team appreciations this morning. Anna acknowledged how challenging this transition must be for me. I felt my whole being drink in those words!”
A strangely comforting interlude…
Missing the Christmas party
Zahra: “I missed the Huddlecraft Christmas party this week which was a shame. The only Christmas party I’ve missed. It felt a bit sad and a bit poetic as well.”
Zahra: “We talked about roles, who’s going to take which roles and responsibilities, mapped out options for team members we might bring in, we went through all of the money stuff, the cash flow…”
Sarah: “I’m conscious that now the next time you guys meet it will be the year you leave and it will be a real countdown, I wonder how that’s all feeling”
Zahra: “There’s a real feeling of almost being able to taste it now. There are some stepping stones I can see, and a lot of dark areas of the map as well.”
Emerging ritual idea
Zahra: “I wanted to share an idea coming out of the Fear Factor Huddle. I’m thinking of walking from Frome to Weston Super Mare, to really, really mark this ending.”
Sarah: “The analogy that came to me is that when athletes finish a run, they don’t just suddenley stop, they walk for a bit. Maybe these final few months are the walk before you stop.”
A previous post from Sarah about intentional endings if you’re curious to dig deeper:
More about Sarah:
Sarah Weiler is a coach, musical facilitator and creative entrepreneur, who loves helping people explore whether it's time to quit. She is a TEDx Speaker, host of the podcast Knowing When to Quit, and creator of the Quitting Quadrant® framework. More recently she's been supporting people to design Beautiful Endings for their creative projects, which inspired this collaboration with Zahra. She writes about living an authentic, multi-passionate life on her Carousel Substack. IG - @sarahweilersarah