Something STINKS!…Moving Beyond Who and Why

Expect the unexpected.

Last week, my husband and I were on our way home from a late night walk with the dog. It was about 10:00 p.m. and we were walking through our small town’s historic cemetery, as it is directly on our routine walking route. Lexi, the beagle, made good use of her 220+ million scent receptors and the hound howl was well underway. He and the dog made their way off the main pathway, into the cemetery around the tombstones. A few minutes later, they returned - ushering in with them an offensive and nauseating odor. The skunk took a brief ride on Lexi’s back. Thankfully, she was able to shake it off quickly. The odor…not so much. 

Two humans and one Beagle were left to deal with the situation at hand. Quick! Hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, dish washing soap, and tomato juice. Check. Let the 2-day cleansing process begin.

Organized chaos is the new norm.

As professionals, we are certain to encounter difficult situations. These might include:

•       pressure associated with accomplishing more with fewer resources;
•       dealing with difficult staffing situations;
•       working in an unhealthy work environment;
•       adverse media coverage;
•       change in leadership and/or a leadership void; and
•       situations that cross the line in the sand as it relates to your personal beliefs, values, and norms.

Often when faced with a challenging situation, people become distracted by details, caught up in being busy (vs. being productive), anguishing over the “why” it occurred, or worrying about who did it. This tends to occur when we lose sight of the big picture…what it is we are trying to accomplish. We lose sight of the outcomes we are trying to achieve and get bogged down in how we’re going to get there. We can become paralyzed, unfocused, and ineffective. We can feel stuck.

Strategies for Shaking the “Skunk” off Your Back

When you want to refocus your energy on what you are trying to achieve, consider the following strategies for moving forward with confidence and strength.

Enjoy the balcony view. Imagine your situation as though it’s a play and you are viewing it from a balcony. The balcony offers us a higher, more strategic vantage point. Do you see yourself? What are you doing? What are you not doing? Use the balcony view to stay focused on the big picture.

Be calm. Develop your emotional intelligence by observing yourself in action, actively listening and asking questions to seek understanding, elevating to a cognitive level so you are able to exercise choice, and selecting a personal strategy (e.g. create a different mindset, anticipate the situation and alter behavior, harness the emotions).

Practice Cybernetic Leadership (Birnbaum, 1988). When faced with a problem ask “what is within my power to do to solve this problem that will not create more serious problems moving ahead?” Focus on what can be done, as opposed to what you’re unable to do.

Start with the Facts. Circle back to objective information. What do the data say? Do you know or do you think you know something to be true? Check your assumptions. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you, will give you honest and direct feedback, and can offer a perspective different from yours. Diversity of thought can be a powerful tool to have in your toolkit.

Lead from Where You Are. You don’t have to be the leader in order to be a leader. Regardless of where you are within an organizational structure, you can lead from where you are. Leadership is giving your best and bringing out the best in others. Leadership is about taking action!

The Easy Button

There is no easy button. There is no one-size-fits all strategy for dealing with challenging situations. Often times a multi-faceted strategy is required. Remember to stay focused upon what you are trying to achieve and the balcony offers the best view.

What’s an example of a time when you experienced a “skunk” on your back? What was the situation? How did you respond? What did you learn?

References

Birnbaum, R. (1988). How colleges work. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Stuck On An Escalator - Take Action . (2012, January 1). . Retrieved August 21, 2017, from <www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrSUe_m19FY>

Nicole Schultheis is an innovative executive in higher education hailed by institutions as “Collaborative…Forward-Thinking…a Thought Leader.” With more than 20 years of leadership experience at large research universities and the U.S. Army, and a Ph.D. from Saint Louis University, Schultheis is known for her leadership in student success, organizational effectiveness, information technology, and enrollment services. When Schultheis is not being a very busy and sought after administrator, she enjoys traveling, exercising, and experiencing nature.