Dealing with Problems
One blog that I enjoy reading and always get something useful out of is Hot Points by Go Daddy‘s founder and president Bob Parsons (if you’re not that net saavy, Go Daddy isn’t about anything kinky, but is one of the net’s premier domain name registrars).
I was reading his article about dealing with problems when it made me remember one of our coaching sessions (if you coached then, you’ll know when I’m talking about). To protect the innocent and not so innocent all names and scene details will be glossed over.
A particular problem was caused by a particular person and we coaches retreated to our little corner during the break and started bitching about it (yes, coaches bitch too!). Boy, I’ll have to admit, it was guilty fun. We were complaining and poking fun of the whole situation and I was totally wallowing in it.
Until one of the coaches piped in, “So what do we do about it?”
And it jolted me right out of the victim role I was playing. More than jolted, I was virtually kicked on my ass, and immediately impressed and grateful with the coach who had said that. Which brings me to the points in Bob’s article which I want to highlight:
I realized that it was important to keep my mind in the present moment.
I decided not to worry one bit about the consequences of the outage, but instead to stay in the moment. I resisted the temptation to visit the past and waste time with non-productive things like blaming anyone for the problem. I also resisted thinking about the future and worrying about the consequences of the crash. Neither of these things would get the problem handled. Instead, I resolved to think and do only those things that would get us back online.What my people really needed was a leader.
It occurred to me that dealing with something as serious as this system outage appeared to be — and would be — a heck of a leadership test. So I made it my goal to be positive, upbeat and a man of action – and do whatever it took to get the servers back on line quickly. My people all felt terrible over the failure. What the company needed now was a leader. I resolved to step up and do everything possible to fulfill that role.
Anthony Robbins is fond of saying that a leader first sees things exactly as they are, not better nor worst, then they envision things becoming better than they are and bring themselves and everyone else there.
I had been so content on complaining about the whole situation that I hadn’t bothered to see how things could be better than they were. By not owning the problem and taking responsibility, I had become part of the problem and none of the solution.
So, special thanks to that coach who reminded me of a very valuable lesson that day.
And now, I want to pay it forward and be that coach for you. Let me ask you:
1) Is there any area in your life right now that you’re facing problems in which you’ve felt you weren’t in control of or have not been doing anything about?
2) What is something you could do immediately to help solve the problem or make the situation better?
3) Can it be done immediately under 2 minutes? If yes, do it now!
4) If it needs more time, schedule a time in to do it.
5) Have fun knowing you’re making yourself part of the solution, instead of the problem.
It’s about making the difference that makes the difference, isn’t it?
When I start out as a coach, I realise that what I can consistently bring to the table is an awareness that there are more than one way to look at what the person I am coaching is facing.
Thanks Alvin for this thought-provoking post. A fitting analogy even.
When we contemplate our place in this world. Isn’t it amazing that we can often find instances of how saying one simple word or offering a small gesture of appreciation can change someone’s perception of this being a better world?
Have you wondered how you come to be at the right place at the right time to say or do the right thing?
Are you like many nay-sayers out there who will only focus on the negative aspects of things?
What can you do about it?
Simply by training your subconsciousness to tune in to the good stuff by breaking your old mould. It’s as easy as changing the small habits and expanding your awareness of the good things that will come your way.
Challenge yourself. I bet the 1st person to add a little salt to a cake-mix didn’t realise it makes the cake taste better. You don’t have to do outrageous things to get outrageous results!
A small shift in words, thoughts and actions is all we need. A butterfly flapping it’s wings in Beijing could be the cause of a storm system half way round the world.
When was the last time you realise that rubbing the salt in prevents infection?
A rolling moss gathers no stone.
A stitch of nine saves time.
You cna pbobraly usnatdrnsed waht tihs snetnece mnaes eevn if teh slenlipg is a bit werid.
You are aware of the feeling you have in your nose now.
Have fun discovering. Let’s start sharing.
ya, it’s the little that we do, the little that we share, that creates the pleasant smile and chain effect of feeling good from one to another. Thus creates a chain cycle where the little things we do that warm hearts, comes back somehow making us feel good for no good reason. (;>) (=P)
Hm…. guess it’s like creating a little more awareness to the interesting, positive aura around us (exercising our sub-concious mind, tuning towards the pleasant forces) with a sudden spur of instinct to do alittle that makes a difference.
Like a smile to a wrinkled old man passing by, or a little baby boy crying. Sharing a little force of positivity with them. =) =P
Cheers,
Tas.
“A leader is someone who brings something new to the table.” — True only to some extent. I’d add that the leader brings something *clearer* to the table. It may not always be something new, but the leader would always need to provide clarify.
To be fair to Alvin, I don’t think he meant to say “A leader is someone who brings something new to the table…..PERIOD.”
The focus of this post is “something new”
I agree with clarity and that means adjusting the perspective of how things are seen and to a larger extent… that is “something new”, isn’t it?
IMHO, making things “clearer” for a leader is contextual. Providing clarity and having to clarify leadership decisions to followers are different.
In observing group and personal dynamics, I have noticed that sometimes a series of clearly defined objectives is not as effective as broad fuzzy vision of what needs to be achieved.
The former allows for better control and may limit creativity and forsight. The latter allows for flexibility and adaptability. In fast changing times, the leader has to become more charismatic, more adaptable and more circumspective.
The ability to bring something new to the table is crucial especially to a leader who wants to stay ahead. Break old moulds, shift paradigms, think out of the box and of course be clear about it.
Hi Ivan!
Sorry I can’t help but chuckle…I’m wondering if you just brought something new to the table or if you just help clarified whatever was already there.
You can tell I’m someone who loves humour. I also love a good discussion, so welcome to the table!
I agree with you…leaders fulfill so many functions sometimes, and group dynamics can be so fluid that leadership roles flow from one person to the next indistinguishably.
Whatever the case, I wanted to highlight something I felt useful in my own life, when things were going tough and could have turned out for the worst, pulling this principle out has helped me lots.
It was inspired by (paraphrasing) Einstein; ‘the level of thinking that has gotten us to the problem will not get us to the solution.’
What he meant was that to get us somewhere different from the current situation, we had to think differently. And thinking differently can mean either putting a new slant on things (eg. clarification) or adding new dimensions (adding a new ingredient).
In any case, I think we’re both bringing new things to the leadership table now, which is fun
You are so right! Bringing something new to a recipe can change everything. More than that is to make it look different. Like a chocolate basket of strawberries. Check it out and let me know your thoughs? Do I pass? Steph