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The Thoughtful Leaders BlogBuilding with thrown bricks
I was speaking with a colleague recently who told her tale of woe about a large project she was heading up at work. She shared a litany of roadblocks and obstacles. “Every time I turn around,” she said, “It’s like someone else has come up with yet another ridiculous hoop I have to jump through and a reason why my project will fail…or shouldn’t even be started. At times I just want to quit.” Related Posts:Leave a ReplyNo pain, no gain?
We have been taught since we were young, “No pain, no gain.” I no longer adhere to that approach. The world is filled with organisms that grow without pain and chaos. People grow, cities grow, businesses grow, flowers grow – all, at times, without chaos and pain. The world shows us that it is entirely possible, and yet when I share this concept with my clients, they find it enlightening. Related Posts:Leave a ReplyThat’s how rumors start
“If you don’t give people information, they’ll make something up to fill the void.” Carla O’Dell
We highly recommend “overcommunication” to our clients. We tell our clients, repeatedly, that they should share with others what they know, what they don’t know, what they can disclose, what they can’t disclose, why they can’t disclose something, when they might disclose something – basically everything possible. Because if they don’t – if they leave a void – the people around them will make something up. Related Posts:Leave a ReplyYou have what you need
“In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” Albert Camus
There are many sayings that highlight the fact that adversity can often yield the best results. “You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.” “Diamonds are made under pressure.” “Every cloud has a silver lining.” These all remind us that it is often the difficult times that bring out the best in us or get us where we need to go. Related Posts:Leave a ReplyFour steps to reducing the harmful effects of emailIn teaching a program on Managing Conflict recently I asked participants to name some of the sources of conflict in their organization. They offered many suggestions about the things that cause conflict to arise, and the strongest sources of conflict, the ones that seemed to generate the most nods of agreement and emphatic responses, centered around communication – lack of communication, miscommunication, conflicting messages, and misinterpreted messages. Related Posts:Leave a ReplyAddress the root cause
“Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped.” Liberian proverb
When we fall, when we fail, we often immediately look at the point where we came crashing to the ground. We may blame our immediate surroundings; we may decide to stay on the ground and not get up; we may decide we can’t achieve our goals or that we need to change direction. Related Posts:Leave a ReplyLead like a duck
“Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but paddling like the dickens underneath.” Michael Caine
When things get frantic, do you get frantic? Can those who work with you and live with you notice your frenetic energy? And do they then get frantic themselves? An essential leadership skill – whether you’re leading an organization, a team, a project, or a family – is to learn to flow with the chaos and show a calm demeanor to the people around you. Related Posts:2 Responses to “Lead like a duck”Leave a ReplyLeave a ReplyLet it go
“You can’t hold a man down without staying down with him.” Booker T. Washington
A friend of mine used to tell me how she’d be mad at her boyfriend, and he wouldn’t even know. “We’re fighting,” she’d say, “And he has no idea.” It was clear to her that she was expending energy with her anger and frustration, and it wasn’t affecting him at all. Related Posts:Leave a ReplyAre you a carrot, egg, or coffee bean?What pressures are you under right now? What difficulties are you facing? And how are you coping with them? For many of us, our approach to adversity is predictable. Some of us tense up and become harsh, some of us try our best to ignore the issue and hope it goes away, others give up and tolerate what’s happening. And there are those, whom I admire, who seem to find a way to rise to the occasion with focus and clarity and make the most of a bad situation – or in fact, turn it into a win for them. Related Posts:2 Responses to “Are you a carrot, egg, or coffee bean?”
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View Robyn McLeod's profile
I once received some feedback about this very issue. It seems that when I took one of the many typing indicators it determined that I was as calm in a high stress situation as in areas that were routine. This was good and bad. The good as you pointed out was that the team remained calm and did not get rattled and unable to perform, the bad is that no one really knew how bad the situation was and therefore did not have the chance to rise to the occasion and help out. I have not changed the nature in which I take stress, but I have found cues to help those around me appreciate the gravity of the situation. Just thought I would share this to enhance your thoughts.
Thanks Dwight – that is excellent food for thought and I know I will incorporate it for myself and my clients as we talk through stress, calmness, and reactions. Good for you that you took the feedback and found a way to work with it that worked for you (and those around you)!