Gloomy Monday morning.
The clouds are covering not only the sun but most everyone’s attitude as well.
Not wanting to give in to the foul mood, you give yourself a brief pep talk. Ready to show up differently, what do you do? Determined to lead in a different direction, how do you respond?
It depends on the clouds.
A dingy blanket of grey warrants a very different response than gathering storm clouds.
In the first case, a cheerleader is needed. In the second, a paramedic.
If the primary dynamic is one of low spirits, dreary to-do lists, too many nasty clients or general weariness, then you need to come alongside and set a different tone, suggest helpful alternatives, offer a word of encouragement and offer to lend a hand.
If the primary dynamic is one of impending crisis, circumstances getting out of control, an unexpected problem arising, or an internal conflict simmering, you need to step out in front, get important facts on the table, insist on full cooperation, make necessary adjustments and call for decisions that will result in change.
On the other hand, consider the disaster if you misinterpret the clouds. If you were to step out forcefully when nothing more serious than a bad mood prevailed, you’d come across as insensitive, authoritarian and out of touch. Or if in the face of crisis, you simply encouraged everyone to keep doing a good job and promised that everything will turn out for the best, you’d come across as equally out of touch, incompetent and naive.
Disaster is not inevitable when the clouds cover the sun. The gloom need not prevail. It just depends on how you interpret the clouds.
On your side,
– Karl Edwards
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