Many organizations aim to implement governance. The hearts of a few tend to be in a good place, and they are just optimistic enough to think they can achieve nirvana and claim the prize. But they fail. Many do. Most do, really. And that is where either a seed to sound governance is rooted, or it is where it is abandoned to sit out the next few rounds of trends, and wait for another unsuspecting and overly eager individual to come along and try it again.

Whether you are trying to implement digital governance, your standard IT governance, data governance, or even process governance (project, program, etc.), you need to make peace with the fact that it is a process. And it won’t be finished until it is finished, and you can’t rush it. There is a reason it is not easy — otherwise your organization would already have it! If you can take a step back and allow some space for the process to take place, you will create good will towards the universe, your colleagues, and yourself.

This isn’t easy; in fact, it is hard! You need to consciously make the decision to dial it back, offer up to others information and a governance process, and then you need to let it stew. How long depends on your culture, the personalities, and even you. But what you should consider is letting yourself off the hook, at least partially, to allow yourself that room for growth. If not, the fast burn that leads to nowhere will keep you in the dark, and eventually cause your governance effort to die on the vine.

So do yourself the favor, and let yourself (and others) off the hook! If governance isn’t in place immediately, you will be ok. The reality is that most organizations will be less efficient and less effective. But it will not kill productivity entirely, production will still occur, and the resulting foundation that can be created in exchange for not exceeding the pace of change that your organization can tolerate will lead to long-term success.