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Thriving in the Gap
| Guest post by: Karla Robertson |
Article Overview: Making the best of where you are with what you have can be a challenge these days with the pressure of meeting setting and meeting sales goals, retaining talent and clients. How can we thrive in the gap between delusional optimism and paralyzing panic? The key is to stay where the action is and that is in the middle between these two extremes. You can't do it alone so put people around you that don't think like you do. People who can challenge and optimize your thinking. Make the most of what opposing ways of seeing it give to you and you will find that your networking is more robust, developing your employees is more effective, solutions drive more sustainable results. In short you will make better decisions that serve in the short, mid and long term.
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Free Download - Compensation and Performance By Karla Robertson |
Thriving in the Gap
When I step back and close my eyes and think about all that has transpired this year in my personal and professional life, there is a theme that emerges like a neon sign shining through the density of neural activity in my brain: I was constantly managing and finding my way through the tension between what is (reality) and what could be/should be (potential/ideal). I saw that I was not alone in this. Everyone I speak to is, and has been, trying to make the best of where they are with what they have. They are striving to move the ball in the direction of their ideal state of being for themselves, their business, their relationships, etc. What can happen, though, if we're not adept at managing in the gap between Reality and Possibility/Ideal? What does taking either one of those to the extreme look like?
When you take Realism to the next level it morphs into a deteriorative cynicism that masquerades as "I'm just being real". Cynicism is a dark and sneaky sort. It seeks to make others feel stupid and inept for believing that things could be or should be better. Cynics (we all know some) are easy to spot. They are the ones sitting usually in the back of the room with their cohorts whispering to each other and shaking their heads when some poor sole has the guts (or in their mind naivite) to stand up and talk about possibilities, new ideas, hope, and enthusiasm. "Poor guy", they say, "he just doesn't get it." Cynics don't want it to work out. They want to see you fail so they can feel secure in their cynicism and don't have to take a risk and step out of that mood that is driven by their chosen mindset. Mind you they are not to be confused with skeptics, their distant cousin. Skeptics you need and want. They differ from cynics in that they truly want it to work out. They are your eyes and ears and objective minds who see the potential pitfalls and what ifs. They are vital to good, whole-brained decision-making. They tend to get a bad rap though because the minute they open their mouths to draw attention to how things could go wrong they are branded as "downers, cynics, raining on the parade, etc.". Lest the enthusiasts run away with the show, skeptics should have a rightful and valued place in any team. Talk to them and see where their thoughts are. If they are excited and believe in the direction and want to see the idea, project, etc. work and are just airing their views so nothing gets in its way, then you've probably got a skeptic, not a cynic on board. Their views and warnings may slow things down so you can check them out or rework them but it will be worth it in the end if you want sustainable results. Keep the skeptics. Cynics, get rid of them.
On the other side is Possibility/Ideal. If you flip out on that side you end up in a "lost in space" realm with no direction or connection to what is relevant. Way too much time is wasted talking about extraneous possibilities. These are people who just put stuff out there because it's cool (to them) and are not focused enough on the relevant aspects of the discussion, needs, direction and vision. The raging idealists are also people you must be aware of if they are on your team. Yes, they can do a massive brain dump of ideas which at some point may be useful however, they can steamroll a team in the wrong and useless direction if not managed well.
So, what we need to be skillful at is operating in the gap between Reality and Possiblity/Idealism: What is and what could or should be. This is where the action is and dialog should be. Being in the gap does not mean you cannot innovate. On the contrary. You can think out of the box and still be in this gap. So make the most of the diversity of thinking that you have around you. Who are those folks who seem to always cut right through everything and ask the right questions that almost everyone else misses? Who are those people who understand that learning to serve others while hitting key goals is a way to retain talent and clients? Who is that person who keeps their eye on the financial ball? Who is that person who can take everyone's idea and create a new concept or approach that no one else sees? Who is that person who is great at facilitating this kind of discourse so that you can come to closure and yet not cut off good dialog prematurely? Learn to dance in this gap without getting trigger happy so that you flip out on either side. It is when we take an integrated approach to our challenges that the best solutions emerge.
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Article Tags: decisions, developing your employees, effective solutions, extremes, gap, learning to serve others, networking, optimism, sales goals, sustainable results
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About the Author: Karla Robertson RSS for Karla's articles - Visit Karla's website Click here to visit Karla's website   What You Think is What You Do and Who You Are IDEA for 2009 Our Gas Tanks Are Full But Were Running On Empty Human 20 Lets Talk Perspective |
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