Author: Mike Urgo
Note: Another week of travel, so no video this week. Also, due to the hectic schedule I have right now, and just a general feeling of not wanting to be tied down to a schedule: I am going to move away from Thursday posts. Episodes will start to come out more organically when I have time and when (as my tagline has always been: Whenever Inspiration Strikes!)
I was talking with a client this week and we were discussing a presentation they had made in front of their peers. The presentation was divisive and required the group of more than 20 people to either agree or vote on a solution to a problem. While there were multiple factors and nuances that contributed to the situation, there was one over arching theme that I found is prevalent inside and outside the workplace.
Whether it’s a multi-million-dollar decision being made for a company or whether your kid’s travel team should play in an out-of-town Thanksgiving tournament. As people, we struggle making objective decisions. We struggle to leave our emotions at the door. I have worked for and with many leaders who tout their willingness and drive to make “data driven decisions”. But they all struggle when they have become emotionally invested in a solution. Making data driven decisions is fine, but it takes more than just saying that and honestly, sometimes there isn’t clear data present. So, as leaders we are relied on to make decisions and do our best not to let our emotions hijack the decision.
I am no better. Especially when I have worked hard to develop a solution and feel like I have done the research myself. It can be hard when someone else starts to make a valid point that goes against your proposal, or even worse: seeing data to the contrary. I was at one time (pre-covid) helping to design an ice rink that would have potentially been built on campus. One of the things that my athletic director asked me while we were looking at the blueprints was:
What do I see? What did I think? What is missing?
Immediately I jumped on the offensive. I didn’t want my team to be shafted and was going to make sure all our needs would be met. He smiled, because I am sure he had anticipated such a response. He said:
Mike, we are planning to build an ice rink. An ice rink for college hockey teams. They will be taken care of, because that’s the main functionality of the facility. What I want you to think about, as someone who has played hockey their entire life, someone who has worked in ice rinks, is: what do you see? What are we missing? What should we do for the fans? What about for the custodian team or the referees? Our current rink doesn’t have showers in the referee locker room, let’s be sure we rectify that, etc.
This was powerful to me. Emotionally, I was so invested in making sure my team got what they needed, I had lost sight of the bigger picture. I had developed such a tunnel vision, I could not see the vision. Emotions can do that. And it’s not something that is easy to combat. It’s something I try to think about while I am working and when I am helping at home. It’s our job as leaders in any space to help bring down the temperature. To guide the people around us to take a step back and see the bigger picture.
When we get teams to do this (including executives), we can help facilitate the best decision possible. Will it be perfect or will it work out every time? No. But, will you avoid many decisions that are rooted in emotion and potentially detrimental to the larger goal you are striving for? Absolutely. The truth is, as people, we have emotions. Asking someone or yourself to be void of emotion is setting yourself up for failure.
Rather what I am suggesting is to be self-aware of when emotions could be impacting a decision. Understand where they come from and if they are relevant. Sometimes, a gut feeling can be just as valuable as data when seen from an objective perspective. As with everything there’s a balance. Part of that balance is also getting out of your head. Talk things out with a confidant or someone on your team. There’s no better way to get an objective perspective than talking to someone you trust. Just as emotions can get in the way of objective decisions, so can false internal narratives. Rarely are the conversations we rehearse in our heads the way they end up going in real life.
This is where a coach can be very beneficial to your growth as a leader and in your career.
Are you looking for a professional coach to help you grow or take the next step in your career?
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