I live in rural America. Seeing deer is common. Some people think they are cute and others think they are nothing but a problem. What ever your point of view, the last place you want to see deer is in your headlights when you are driving home after a long day at work. The result is that you freak out. They freak out. And it is highly likely that some one or some thing is going to have a very bad day.
During interesting times and in the trough of chaos, people can at times act like deer in the proverbial headlights. They are overwhelmed by all that is happening around them. They are not sure where to go next. They finally bolt and often run into everything that they are trying to avoid, causing problems upon problems for all involved.
But what can leaders do about this?
First, leaders need to recognize that most employees just want to come to work and do their job. And at the end of the day, they want to feel like they have made progress and gotten recognition for a job well done. Most employees are focused on getting stuff done.
Leaders on the other hand are often focused on big questions and the future. They assume the day to day is getting done and hopefully done well. They, on the other hand, are trying to figure out if the business model is sustainable, are the resources arriving at the right times and are we really meeting the needs and expectations of the customers. In essence, they are big picture focused.
Then, after hours of this level of thought and reflection, these strategic leaders meet tactical employees and share. They talk about strategy, trends, the future markets, growth of the company and often the numbers. This broader context is perfectly clear to these leaders.
But for the day to day employees, this is all new territory. They are not aware of the big picture. They zoom in to solve daily problems rather than zoom out to look at the strategic intent of the company. So, when they finally move from being unaware of the bigger picture to being aware of the bigger picture, they naturally become overwhelmed. They start asking powerful questions like “Do I still have a job?” or “Is the company going under and I need to get out now?” This lack of big picture focus is not their fault. It is just not their focus on a daily basis.
The upshot of all of this leader and employee interactions during interesting times and a trough of chaos is deer-in-the-headlights behaviors. It’s normal. It’s what all of us do when we are overwhelmed and can not process what is happening around us. In simple terms, we fight, run away or just stand there in shock. And then someone is going to have a very bad day.
However, I have observed fantastic leaders who avoid this normal stage of the trough of chaos. First, they do not do a big picture data dump on employees. Instead these leaders focus on creating focus and clarity. Second, through routine strategic level dialogues, they explain what is and is not going to change so people understand that there is a line of continuity through all that is happening. And finally, they help all involve understand what are the priorities each quarter. Again, they create focus and clarity over panic and fear. The result is fewer deer-in-the-headlights moments, and more people who come together to solve tactical and strategic level problems.
This week, remember that the deer-in-the-headlights response is normal. We all are doing the best we can with the information we have. And remember to create clarity. When we focus on purpose over fear, people will make the right things happen every time.
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