Tuesday nights at 8:30, you would find me on the living room
floor, eating a bowl of cereal, watching “Laverne & Shirley.” That was my routine for years as a kid. That show would crack me up. These two women would find themselves in all
sorts of situations, that were often caused by them. The remainder of the show would be about how
they would unravel the trouble. The
classic misunderstandings, assumptions, over-promising and poorly defined
expectations filled most of the plotlines.
Sound a bit like work?
Think of the trouble caused by misunderstanding, to start. Often, I hear the following:
- I didn’t know that was what he was asking me to do
- Wait, you meant for me to do that this week?
- I think my boss is trying to make me look bad on purpose
- How can I be expected to do anything more? No one knows all of what I do
Lack of clarity around process, personnel and results often
find themselves into our daily “issue board.”
You know, that growing list of concerns or problems brought up by
misunderstanding. Think of the extra
meetings you’ve had to bridge the gaps towards understanding. Lots, right?
I recall one particular time where I calculated 15 hours of
my 40-hour work week spent on meetings I had not planned on having in order to
mediate the trouble that was brewing surrounding misunderstanding, unrealized
expectations and a general lack of grace towards each other. That was 37.5% of my work week. Productive?
Maybe. Could it have been avoided
to begin with? Much of it could have
been.
I know that there is much to learn through situations like
this. The “a-ha” moments usually come
when someone, who has worked himself/herself into a tizzy, finds out that the “facts”
he/she thought were off and it causes a reconsideration of how information is
gathered and processed. It’s a beautiful
thing to watch. And yet, if you find
yourself in multiple situations like that, doesn’t that show more of a systemic
issue?
Trouble is a difficult culture to break through. There are some companies that love it. They thrive on unhealthy relationships,
difficult processes and a sloppy organizational design. That’s not a dramatic statement. Considering the amount of books, articles and
workshops on dealing with toxic co-workers, difficult bosses and a separatist board
of directors, it’s very reasonable to see that many companies must swim in this
description and many of us deal with this on a regular basis.
As leaders, we ought to be proactive to thwart trouble
before it begins. We can offer direction
on process, wisdom in relational dealings and passion behind seeking resolution
directly. It’s not meant to be
emotionless, but it’s often the case that a culture allowed to be too emotional
can end up being crippled by those emotions and fall short of the mission. We can encourage folks to move beyond such
short-sightedness. The feeling is not
where the prize is found; it’s in reaching the goal.
Consider marriage.
The wedding itself is a fun day.
It’s a party! There is much to
love and feel good about; however, the marriage itself is the goal. Emotions won’t be in the same sphere each day
as compared to the wedding. If the
marriage is based on the desire to feel the way they did on the wedding day,
the marriage is doomed. And so it is
with business. Not every day is the
first day of work; not every day is the first sale made; not every day is the
holiday party. In between are days where
a lack of clarity, issues around process and general trouble can occur. Taking a proactive stance to thwart such problems
and to add value to the communicative process so that others can perform it
without you is our job.
Open the dialogue,
call others to a higher standard and bring issues out into the open with the
purpose of educating, diffusing and moving on.
Trouble festers if left unattended.
Don’t let it happen. You can make
such an impact. I mean, if Laverne and
Shirley were able to do it in a 30-minute time slot, I have faith that you can
get it done in a timely manner. Sclemeel, schlemazel, hasenfeffer incorporated
to all!
