Respond versus React
I found myself writing this down in a session with MY coach this week (yes, I strongly value the power of coaching!)… “Things feel urgent when there is no plan. We wonder when we will ever get “THIS THING” done if it isn’t addressed now. Patience and trust in the plan bring ease.”
Without a bigger picture, it is difficult to assess the urgency and importance in tasks and issues that arise. Knee-jerk reactions occur when there is no plan or the desire to make something “go away” when we’ve lost sight of the larger picture.
As leaders you want to present as calm and collected. However, when you are experiencing decision fatigue, in an incredibly stressful situation, or overwhelmed, crafting on the spot cool like a cucumber response may be out of reach.
It is easy to lose focus on those whack-a-mole days… weeks… you get the drift. The onslaught of information via email, meetings, and red blinking light on your voicemail can create an avalanche of input to dig out of and process. When stressful situations arise and you react with “make this go away as fast as possible”, you’re more likely to find out later that the task was unnecessary, could have waited, or been carried out more efficiently.
When you are caught off guard and drinking from the firehose (or maybe it’s more like a dam breaking), the defense strategy becomes who can I delegate this to or who else’s responsibility is this. This shuts downs the ability to think outside the box and engage creative problem solving. You’re playing defense with no time-outs, not offense.
Increasing your capacity to stay centered in increasing stressful situations is an essential skill as you advance in your career. The higher up you go, the more complex and higher risk issues land on your desk, email, and to your cell phone late at night. You are asked to make decisions without all the information you’d like to have to make an informed decision.
Reconnecting with the plan/vision/strategy is essential to prevent muddying the waters even more with unnecessary and inefficient action. Strengthening your ability to respond with wisdom and leave the knee-jerk reaction behind requires centering and practice.
The "Tune Into Your Team" Accelerator is a six-week boot camp style program designed to do just that. It builds awareness of where you are reacting instead of responding, introduces techniques to activate thoughtful response, and support you along the way as you hone your skills.
To learn more about the "Tune Into Your Team" Accelerator, click here.
