“Catch-22” Situations

Countering a leader who seems to consistently put you into no-win situations or impossible dilemmas, and insists on adherence to illogical rules and regulations may be assisted with these responses:

• Let go of ego around confrontations, remember the old adage that you don’t always have to be right to be happy.

• Be logical and clear in your communications with your supervisor, and when confronted with communication that isn’t logical and clear politely ask for an explanation. The key here is to have the intent of clearing up any miscommunications for the good of the organization. By removing the personal, and making the need for clarity about the success of your boss and his/her goals and objectives, you remove a threat – you!

• Invite your supervisor to your team meetings regularly, or at least often enough that they know and understand your desire too seek their input as you work through tasks effectively with your team. Shining a light on the fact that you are open and agreeable to your supervisor’s presence can be quite a tonic for good.

• Always be supportive of the goals and tasks of your boss. Have empathy for the tasks and responsibilities that are assigned to your supervisor, and let them be aware that you support their position within the organization.

(This is an excerpt from an earlier blog -- When the Cow Jumped Over the Moon, Part One -- see blog archive.)

The Power of Deciding

There is perhaps no more powerful statement on the power of “deciding” than the famous words of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who in the early years of the 19th Century said:

“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration; I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.”

(Excerpt from my earlier post: Why Good Leaders Must D.I.E. -- go look up that blog posting on my site to see why such a provocative title ...)