A Love Letter to the Frozen Middle

My dears,

I’ve been hearing things. They’ve been talking about you, and they aren’t being kind. They’ve been accusing you of undermining potential, of stalling progress, of being stuck in your ways. They’ve even called you unflattering names. The Frozen Middle! How degrading.

Don’t believe them, my darlings. That’s all nonsense to generate clicks and page views and land  fat management consulting deals. It’s not who you really are.

I see you. I know what you’re up against. Some executive picks up the latest copy of Harvard Business Review, and the next thing you know, you’re being “transformed” again. It happens all the time, at least every two or three years. You know the dance. A dashing consultant sweeps in, bearing gifts of glittering PowerPoints. Naturally you’re expected to swoon into their arms and renounce your old life. We’ll all live happily ever after!

But you know it’s a lie. The months pass. The consultant collects their fee and rides away into the sunset, without so much as a goodbye. And you’re left to pick up the pieces, mending this broken process and that discarded role to make ends meet and still deliver that product on time, keep those customers happy, hit those KPIs. The sad part is you knew how to do all those things before. Why couldn’t they just leave you in peace?

I wonder what your life might be like if someone just stopped, even for a moment, and asked you with genuine curiosity and care what you really need to flourish and thrive. If they saw your potential for creating change instead of sabotaging it. If they knew the countless ways you tried to make things better while still making them work–and appreciated you for your creativity, loyalty, and effort! 

Perhaps I could be that person, if you wanted me to be. Would you drop me a line and let me know?

Humbly yours,

Michelle