Sometimes the Devil is in the Details (or the Tasks)
One of the biggest leadership moves at all levels is the ability to step back and see a problem from a broader perspective. You can see patterns, you can notice that you’re pulled in on an emotional level (and missing the headline), and you can plan for the future by thinking of possible trends or situations. This is a move that helps you plan strategically, be efficient, and not get caught up in drama.
But sometimes, it is the details that matter. Sometimes, an abstract problem feels bigger than the actual issue in front of you. The idea of a public presentation, a tough conversation or a tough schedule can leave you scared, apprehensive, uncertain or anxious. This is where it can help to check if it’s easier to break a problem down and do the actual thing, rather than think (or worry) about the broader issue.
When you find yourself feeling an emotional tug at a task or situation, it can be helpful to name the emotion, of course. That can help you with your awareness, but you still likely need to take the next step. If you find yourself spinning out–circling with all the “what ifs” or feeling a growing loss of control to the emotion that first snuck up on you, pause and check in to see if this is a tactical issue.
This is most often helpful when you feel anxiety or unease, which are emotions that can pull you from your task so you don’t get to see if working on the issue will address it. It’s easy to abort with procrastination, pulled to literally anything on your phone, doing a less important task, etc.
Yes, you should get perspective, think bigger than your immediate problem and do those other things my previous articles tell you to do to step back and pause! But sometimes you need to check your worry by seeing if it’s concrete, or manageable when you map out a concrete plan. For example, the idea of improving your relationship with your board, or growing your network may be daunting. But identifying two calls you can set up now rarely is. If you’re afraid you don’t know what to say, that need will arise, and you can map it out, or do the research, or address whatever is specifically pulling you down.
This works in several ways. First, you are making the work more manageable, and taking small steps. Second, you can use these first steps as small experiments. Small experiments are much more palatable than a major shift in approach or starting a monumental task. And once you’ve taken a first step, the remaining steps may feel much easier.
Here’s how you can check in with your unsettled feeling, when it arises. Ask yourself:
What is the emotion I’m feeling? Where do I feel this emotion physically?
What am I afraid or anxious about?
Can I identify specific steps to move forward (as concrete as possible and as small as needed)?
What are potential barriers to action? What can I commit to?
How do I feel at this point?
In many cases, you feel better now that you know what to do. Sometimes energy vampires hide in the abstract, taking advantage of the gap between intention and action.
If you feel increased anxiety or unease, you have some choices. If it feels ok, you can push ahead with a small step (or a small experiment!). Anxiety grows when you abort the effort towards something scary, and diminishes when you can do a task reasonably successfully. Deeper anxiety may need more attention or help from someone to support you through.
I do not want to suggest that the answer to your challenges is always just to push through. However, you may have anxieties that are unproven, but still hold you back. You may imagine something is scary, or believe you aren’t good at it and then fail to test your hypothesis. You start and feel more uncertain, and abort–reinforcing your own narrative that you aren’t able to do this task.
Deeper anxiety can be serious and crippling, and I do not in any way make light of these conditions. I often coach people who have treated their clinical anxiety, but haven’t cleared the lingering anxiety pixies and energy vampires. Sometimes shedding light and a direct look at an issue can clear the way for a new path to greater heights.
Please reach out if you want to learn more about resetting! And please:
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