One of the big things I’ve learned over my years being a coach is that human beings seem to have a high capacity for filling in the blanks and making assumptions about situations. One of the first rules of any change management initiative is to up your communication so that the water cooler doesn’t become the place where people get their information. We make assumptions about what somebody means when they looked at us in the meeting, or when our boss doesn’t respond to our email, or when a client doesn’t return a call. And, if you’re anything like me, the scenarios that start running through your head are probably the worst case kind. I notice most of us are pretty good at catastrophizing. One of my favourite techniques for pulling myself, and my clients, out of this is to ask the question ‘what are the facts about this situation and what’s the fiction that I’m making up?’ By separating the two things, the path forward usually becomes clearer, and the worry and drama tend to dissipate. Give it a try next time you’re caught in a spin cycle of negative thoughts about a situation you’re in.
#leadershiptruth
