Timeout for Leadership-your one-minute leadership idea

Tip Sheet #22

Don’t make matters worse

Whether you are a school principal or a leader of a business or organization there will be times when things go bad.  That is a fact of life.  I implore you; do not make matters worse.  Most problems are not insurmountable.  There will be sunshine after the storm.  If you stay focused and stay calm there is a good chance that you will be able to keep damage to a minimum.  What should you do when the problem surfaces?

• Understand the problem-Many times you will want to rush off and try to solve the problem when you really do not know what the true problem is. Of course, some situations need immediate action.  I think that you will recognize these.
• Keep quiet until you have all of the facts-Sometimes it takes a while to gather all of the facts needed to make a decision. Make sure you talk to the right people. It is hard to bring back your first comments when you made them erroneously before you knew what was going on.
• Do not react emotionally-If you can, buy some time. Every time I acted impulsively I made matters worse. This is especially true when dealing with a student or staff disciplinary problem. If the situation can wait a night, sleep on the problem.  I know that it is important to you to you to be recognized as a person that can make a decision. This is admirable, but it also could prove costly.
• Gather input-I hope that you have a “cabinet” of trusted advisors that you believe in and will tell you the truth. Find out what they think before you act.  Be careful not to get caught in a “paralysis by analysis” cycle.  Some people will never want to make a decision.
• Understand the consequences of your decision-Make sure you have conducted a quick analysis of how your decision will impact the organization. Doing the right thing sometimes has significant consequences.
• Execute your plan-Once you are happy with your plan, execute it. In all likelihood, it will not be perfect.
• Communicate honestly with your people-It is important that you share your decision with those that need to know. Sometimes this might be your entire school community.  There will be times when it is important to share your rationale for your decision.  There will be times when you feel that the situation does not warrant much further discussion. People want to hear from the leader rather than hearing information through the grapevine.  This also helps prevent unfounded rumors from becoming your next problem.
• Debrief-Once your school is back to normal, debrief with your cabinet and team to find out what worked and what did not work. You will learn quite a bit from how you dealt with the situation.  Make sure that you solicit some personal feedback from people to find out how they felt you performed.  Do not merely choose your friends or supporters for this input. This will be a good opportunity for you to grow.

In summation, go slowly.  Take your time and try to get it right the first time.  There will be times when you over-react and live to regret it.  Let’s try to keep these times to a minimum.  Do not pour gasoline on the fire.

Finally, do the right thing.  Do the right thing for your organization.  This is not a popularity contest.