4 BEHAVIOURAL PATTERN TO AVOID IN AN UNCERTAIN SITUATION
Uncertainty is a continually-evolving phenomenon. Change exists in all walks of life and always will—always—which means that to ignore change is to ignore the inevitable.
The inevitable. Just as the sun will rise in the east; just as keeping a secret will build trust; just as honoring a person’s request even in their absence will build integrity, change will come.
Change will come when we least expect it, and to deal with the unexpected requires the personal skill and will to enter into the unknown. Otherwise,the “known” will just remain an unidentifiable thing that rests heavily on your shoulders.
When faced with change or uncertainty of any kind, there are natural human behaviors that people exhibit, and toreact with intention it’s important to identify what the right (desired) and wrong (undesired) behaviors look like.
The next time you’re faced with uncertainty of any kind, compare your behaviors to the human tendencies below. After all, what gets measured gets managed–which means it’s improvable (thank you, Peter Drucker)
1. Deferring authority to someone else.
Instead of tackling a challenge head-on with a willingness to learn, it’s easy to scrape “difficulty” off your plate and push it onto somebody else’s for them to deal with–especially when that challenge is overwhelming or burdensome. This is when the amygdala kicks in and says, “Hey, we either need to fight, flee or freeze here because I don’t like this!” The next time you feel this reaction occur, ask yourself, “what am I really avoiding–responsibility? Work?”
2. Reverting to what is already known.
It’s much easier to go back to what we already know than it is to enter into unknown territory and try something new. People prefer security because it provides a safe haven of emotion–success that is “tried and true.” Try this: Instead of relying upon personal experience, seek out new counsel to receive an unbiased report. If what that person says resonates with you, get after it. If it doesn’t, be sure to reflect on why it doesn’t.
3. Blaming ”the system.”
In Peter Senge’s book, The Fifth Discipline, he mentions seven organizational learning disabilities that hinder performance and growth, one of which is blaming everything and everybody “out there” rather than reflecting on oneself and taking responsibility for one’s own beliefs and actions.
Companies derive value from the men and women who support its vision, its purpose. If your values and behaviors are different from those of the organization, ask yourself,”why?”
4. Creating personal limits.
When uncertainty presents its ugly head (and that’s subjective, by the way), it’s easy to say, “Well, I’ve done all I can. I suppose this is it.” I wrote in another post how failure is defined as a willingness to accept current reality for what it is; that failure is only determined by where you choose to stop.
How many of these natural tendencies do you display? Better yet, how many of the above behaviors do you thinkyou display? Being aware of your natural go-to response is the first step in combating it. Step two is choosing a new one
Uncertainty is a continually-evolving phenomenon. Change exists in all walks of life and always will—always—which means that to ignore change is to ignore the inevitable.
The inevitable. Just as the sun will rise in the east; just as keeping a secret will build trust; just as honoring a person’s request even in their absence will build integrity, change will come.
Change will come when we least expect it, and to deal with the unexpected requires the personal skill and will to enter into the unknown. Otherwise,the “known” will just remain an unidentifiable thing that rests heavily on your shoulders.
When faced with change or uncertainty of any kind, there are natural human behaviors that people exhibit, and toreact with intention it’s important to identify what the right (desired) and wrong (undesired) behaviors look like.
The next time you’re faced with uncertainty of any kind, compare your behaviors to the human tendencies below. After all, what gets measured gets managed–which means it’s improvable (thank you, Peter Drucker)
1. Deferring authority to someone else.
Instead of tackling a challenge head-on with a willingness to learn, it’s easy to scrape “difficulty” off your plate and push it onto somebody else’s for them to deal with–especially when that challenge is overwhelming or burdensome. This is when the amygdala kicks in and says, “Hey, we either need to fight, flee or freeze here because I don’t like this!” The next time you feel this reaction occur, ask yourself, “what am I really avoiding–responsibility? Work?”
2. Reverting to what is already known.
It’s much easier to go back to what we already know than it is to enter into unknown territory and try something new. People prefer security because it provides a safe haven of emotion–success that is “tried and true.” Try this: Instead of relying upon personal experience, seek out new counsel to receive an unbiased report. If what that person says resonates with you, get after it. If it doesn’t, be sure to reflect on why it doesn’t.
3. Blaming ”the system.”
In Peter Senge’s book, The Fifth Discipline, he mentions seven organizational learning disabilities that hinder performance and growth, one of which is blaming everything and everybody “out there” rather than reflecting on oneself and taking responsibility for one’s own beliefs and actions.
Companies derive value from the men and women who support its vision, its purpose. If your values and behaviors are different from those of the organization, ask yourself,”why?”
4. Creating personal limits.
When uncertainty presents its ugly head (and that’s subjective, by the way), it’s easy to say, “Well, I’ve done all I can. I suppose this is it.” I wrote in another post how failure is defined as a willingness to accept current reality for what it is; that failure is only determined by where you choose to stop.
How many of these natural tendencies do you display? Better yet, how many of the above behaviors do you thinkyou display? Being aware of your natural go-to response is the first step in combating it. Step two is choosing a new one
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