What You Tolerate and Promote is What You Get
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In August when a van crossed directly in my path like a deer, I didn’t see it …until I crashed into it. The airbags went off, my car was destroyed. It was completely unpredictable. (Fortunately, no one was hurt.)
It’s predictability that allows thousands of drivers to safely traverse freeways at 70mph during rush hour. We can predict what other drivers are going to do because of their break lights, their turn signal indicators, and even their horns.
But when a car races by like Mario Andretti, dodging between vehicles without any indication, we are all forced to deal with the driver’s unpredictability. This causes fear, anger, and sometimes accidents.
Similarly, it’s our unpredictability as a boss that causes the most challenges for our teams.
When people can predict how we will operate, they can better engage with and support us. But when we change lanes without warning, our unpredictability causes frustration, aggravation, and often conflict. And this fractures the foundation of trust we need to lead.
What makes us unpredictable? Our…
As an example, when we change directions without any conversation or get mad at someone without any explanation, we are like a bad driver changing lanes without signaling.
By becoming more predictable through our communications, we can not only foster more effective relationships, we can actually develop people in the process. How? Sharing our approach to various situations and decisions actually allows others to learn and improve.
Ultimately, when we are predictable in relationships, we can best respond, support, and serve each other’s success. Predictability makes driving cars, teams, and families actually work …without accidents.
The Law of Polarity states that everything has a polar opposite.
In physics, polarity is a basic feature of the universe. Positive and negative forces are foundational to the structure of every atom. If everything has a polar opposite, then perhaps…
Maybe the struggle we have lies in our failure to contemplate a solution or consider an opposing opinion. As an example, Peter and Mary work as sales reps at an event company that just implemented a new policy whereby customers will not be charged for cancellations. Peter is frustrated by the policy. He orders lunches and copies based on reservations. Why should he have to pay for no-shows? And how could he possibly manage his sales with such uncertainty? This policy makes it super easy for people to cancel. Mary has the polar opposite perspective and approach. Mary is enthusiastic about the policy because of its ability to attract customers. In every sales conversation, she excitedly shares the benefit of working with her company: people can register now to save their seat and cancel any time. This policy makes it super easy for people to commit. Mary’s sales have gone up, while Peter’s have gone down. Same policy. Opposing perspectives.
Of course, all of this requires that we suspend our judgment about a policy, situation, or person in favor of contemplation, consideration, and compassion. |
NY Yankees Manager Joe Girardi made an error.
It was the bottom of the sixth inning in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Cleveland Indians. With two runners on bases and two outs, a batter foul-tipped a pitch off the knob of his bat. The umpire called it a “hit-by-pitch” which automatically walked the batter to first base. Girardi failed to challenge the call as a “strike” (which could have ended the inning). The next batter hit a grand slam, and the Indians eventually won the game.
Girardi was quickly criticized by fans and foe alike. And prior to Game 3 at Yankee Stadium, the crowd (Yankee fans!) booed Girardi.
His response, however, demonstrated his temperament, wisdom, and fortitude.
He said, “It’s no fun to be booed. But [the fans] are passionate and they want to win, and they get upset when we don’t win or when someone makes a mistake in their eyes. But you get the good side [of their passion] too. So that’s the trade-off. The only thing I can do is give my best to this team moving forward. And that’s what I’ll do.”
Girardi could have met haters with hate. He could have deflected attention from his mistake by pointing to others’ shortcomings. He could have defensively explained how hard his job is and how much he sacrifices to be a manager.
Instead Girardi remained unruffled. He made their boo’ing about his decision, not about him personally.
How? By looking for the why beneath their reaction: their passion. He acknowledged fans for it; he didn’t make them wrong for it.
It’s easy to react with anger and defensiveness. It’s even human nature to take things personally.
But it takes a Manager who Leads to respond with maturity, grace, and courage.
We each have two life stories:
The story behind us is our history, our experiences, our scars, our lessons learned. The story in front of us is our future, experiences to have, scars to acquire, lessons to learn.
The story behind us is rich with insights, perspective, and wisdom.
The story in front of us is ripe with opportunity, landscape, and wisdom to gain.
The story behind us is our comfort zone.
The story in front of us is our expandable, stretchable comfort zone.
The story behind us is our normal.
The story in front of us is our new normal.
We teach and mentor others based on the story behind us. We seek teachers and mentors for the story in front of us.
The story behind us is a colorful painting we created.
The story in front of us is a blank canvas ready to be painted.
The story behind us is unchangeable.
The story in front of us is ours to unfold.
Every morning we wake to one story we can do nothing about.
Every morning we wake to another story we can do everything about.
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