Leadership - Freeze to freedom
Freeze to freedom
Up and up
A career move is usually by your own design but may be instigated by others and you feel you have to accept the position.
If you are prepared you will go into the new challenge with hope and enthusiasm.
However, many people don’t think about their career to that extent and often end up in positions ill equipped to cope.
People often rise and rise in an organisation only to find that they have reached a level where their acquired skills and experiences are not enough.
What happens then? Most people will not want to admit that they lack skills. They will muddle along until a crisis appears and then it may be too late.
Once you have been ‘found out’ your stress levels may increase affecting your health.
People fear that if they ask for help through much needed training then this is an admission of failure and may end up in dismissal or being moved into another position.
If you haven’t fully evaluated your personal vision and values you can be driven by one particular area, for example, making money and become blind to your basic values.
Once you get to a point where you feel vulnerable fear, anxiety, uncertainty, concern and other emotions take over and you can ‘freeze’.
You don’t know what to do about the situation?
You may be unhappy in your situation.
You’re not sure whether to stay, admit failure and move sideways or, even worse, in your eyes move downwards.
All of these options are avenues of escape. You can’t think correctly, unable to analyse the problem and see a way forward, you freeze in your current position.
Assessing the situation
It is much easier to see when a person has reached their limit as it may result in transparent behaviours, for example, lateness, sickness, poor performance at meetings, lacks of concentration, a drop in performance of their team.
Once it reaches this stage others easily recognise the signs and team de-motivation [see The Complete Motivation package] may set in.
The difficulty is seeing early warning signs both in yourself and others so that something can be done about it.
Unfortunately, many managers look for the short answer and that is to get another person into the position.
Ask yourself some of these questions.
- Do you bring little more to the role and are you just waiting for something to happen – retirement perhaps?
- Do you have fundamental fears that others have noticed you are not up to the job?
- Have you run out of ideas?
- Would you like a more carefree existence as you feel you work all hours?
Whilst some of these deficiencies will lead to reduction in performance it does not mean you have reached your peak.
Once you have the necessary skills you may be able to cope very easily in this role and start to look for further challenges.
One of the key signs is a general reduction in energy in the position. This may show itself as a reduction in enthusiasm, a look of tiredness, inability to make firm decisions etc.
A big problem when this happens is that you use up valuable energy trying to cope with all of the fears and uncertainties instead of directing it to the tasks you need to complete.
At the end of this exercise you should have a list of skills that you would like to learn.
This list has derived from what you consider to be gaps in your needs.
You have identified these as gaps because you have had particular concerns in those areas.
It is useful to have a clear idea of one of your fears that are holding you back from performing at your peak.
For example, When you feel you are weak at something you will tend to avoid it and look for excuses.
Perhaps you don’t like to chair meetings as you feel you are not in control.
Important presentations, to the board for example, might make you worry for days before.
You need to discipline someone but want to avoid the confrontation.
Recognition
After assessing your situation (or that of another) the next step is recognition that the problem exists.
In the case of another person you must get them to recognise that they have a problem.
You can do this by getting them to follow the process above.
The next step is to try to understand the reasons behind this problem.
Let’s take the example of a reluctance to chair meetings.
- How do you feel when you chair a meeting?
- Is it large or small meetings or one-to-one meetings that are still an issue?
- Do you feel prepared?
- What evidence is there that you are poor at chairing meetings?
- Do others come to the meeting ill prepared?
- Do you feel unable to direct the meeting?
- Do you have an agenda?
- Have you laid down ground rules?
- Do you feel ill at ease when particular people are present?
This list of questions can be developed until you have gotten to the bottom of the fear.
On many occasions the problem has been magnified by your own lack of confidence.
It is more likely that others feel you are more competent than you think.
Action
When you ‘freeze’ in a position due to fears of performance and lack of skills there are only 3 way to go.
- Further up the ladder (less likely but is possible)
- Take a drop down the ladder.
- Make a conscious decision to remain where you are and confront the issues.
I suppose a subtle fourth choice is to stay where you are, barricade yourself in and ride out the storm.
This course of action is likely to be the unhappiest.
The first two require change.
This may hold its own fears. Dropping down the ladder may feel like defeat.
Many pressures build simply by the inability to say ‘No’.
To make any change there must be a bigger benefit than staying where you are.
For instance.
- A drop in position may mean a drop in salary but far less stress.
- A move sideways to a position less hectic may allow more time for your family.
Remember, that you had been rising up the career ladder because you were trying to reach your own particular vision.
You might need to either reinforce your values, if you have forgotten what they were, or re evaluate them.
What ever choice you make you need to look at the benefits and the risks of moving one way or the other or staying put.
Once choice is absent you are in a ‘freeze’ situation.
Secret agenda
You may think you are extremely competent and expect to be promoted at some point in time to a particular position.
However, your organisation may think you have gone as far as you can.
They may well have a confidential succession plan that does not include you.
On the other hand they may have one that does include you.
The only way to find out is to ask and find out what your agenda may be within the organisation.
You may not wish to be on the list. How will you handle this?
Most people have a lot more potential than they realise themselves.
A good leader will try to ascertain the potential of his team and you can do the same for yourself.
What obstacles stand in your way from realising your full potential.
Support
As a leader it is your duty to recognise potential in your team.
It is your duty to spot problems early and rectify areas where a lack of confidence will induce a ‘freeze’ situation.
It is your duty to provide a framework of support to help the individual succeed and realise potential.
Your aim is to turn empathy for the problem from realisation to understanding and finally an action plan from which the person can move forward.
You need to encourage targets and criteria that will demonstrate success.
If the person makes a lot of small gains his or her confidence will grow rapidly and will be in a better position to manage their own transition from ‘freeze’ back to ‘freedom’ of choice.
Momentum is a powerful force.