Resilient Leadership Archives

Sometimes when we leave home we begin to wonder: “Did I turn off the oven before I left or not?” We may sit in our car at a stoplight down the street and think: “Should I turn around and go back to double check?” We consider if we have time to go back and still make our important appointment. Finally, we must make a choice: “Go on or go back?”

Recently a young woman, confronted with some much-needed dental work was in the chair undergoing the removal of a crown when her dentist abruptly stopped the procedure and, in a voice, filled with anxiety said, “don’t swallow”, right after she had swallowed.

When faced with complex problems, unwanted challenges or disappointments and especially when faced with setbacks, our immediate reaction is to become anxious. The fear of failure creeps in. A physiological reaction arises and we either strike back in our words or our actions or we wither and sometimes even withdraw.

As you walk into a packed restaurant you get a sense of things.  Without saying a word to anyone you might think to yourself:
“This place is really crowded. People flock here to have a great time”. Or: “This place is really crowded. They must have no place else to go”.

An excellent way to be less anxious is to become more astute observers of our own brand of reactivity. Those behaviors we exhibit automatically when we are under pressure and then learn ways to manage ourselves so that our anxiety — and our reactive behaviors lessen over time. Is This Me?

A new year is frequently seen as a time of fresh starts and new opportunities. We are also regularly reminded that it’s a great time to make both personal New Year Resolutions and to introduce corporate change initiatives: Time to eat less, exercise more, time to implement new policies, increase productivity targets, set stretch goals, and so forth.