Leadership & Communication

At a recent visit to a local hospital, it was hard to not notice the signage in the elevators indicating that abusive or aggressive behavior would not be tolerated there. To me that seemed so obvious that I was befuddled that it had to be blatantly stated with a professionally created sign to visitors. Then I happened upon an article from Harvard Business Review (Frontline Work When Everyone Is Angry, 11/9/2022, Harvard Business Review https://bit.ly/3TBrDOx) that explained the signs I saw. Ahhh, okay – there is an issue I was unaware of in the world these days. People are being ‘pissy.’

With most meetings occurring online, I’m hearing about the frustrations of time wasted during meetings from leaders and teams’ members alike. Meetings are running overtime. The structure is lost. People can’t make it to their meetings on time – even virtually! Some people talk too much while others never utter a word. 

Recently, I helped a client eliminate the worrying component in his narrative which was causing serious procrastination. This is not unusual, and here are some thoughts for those who find themselves trapped in this wheel of hell. I understand worry intimately. I know those who are chronic worriers and it can quite literally ruin your life. Everything elicits worry in their mind. The truth is that the majority of the things people worry about never manifest into anything at all.

When I was in high school, there was a teacher that had a brilliant line when he was asked a question that he didn’t know the answer to in the moment. He would state: “That is beyond the scope of this course,” with a smile. The class would always chuckle because on the first day of class, he shared that he would say that exact sentence when he was asked such a question. He turned out to be a great teacher and one whom all the students admired and spoke highly of. 

We all end up needing to have a conversation that can become uncomfortable. We may have to share with someone our unmet expectations, disappointment, or actual annoyance. This could be with a direct report, our boss, a peer, a spouse, or maybe even a child. No one likes these situations, but we must deal with them appropriately in order to address the issue at hand.