I’m Bob Wendover. When was the last time you stewed over a decision that wasn’t worth your time and energy? A podcast host asked me recently if there is one thing that fosters workplace overwhelm more than any other. I gave her a one-word answer – uncertainty. Allow me to explain.
Your brain’s first job is to keep you safe. There are two kinds of safety – physical and emotional. Physical safety is easy to understand. Your brain helps you dodge traffic, duck when the foul ball comes toward your head, and navigate between people while walking along the street. Pretty straightforward. Huh?
Emotional safety is more complicated. Unfortunately, the brain can’t tell the difference between physical uncertainty, such as the foul ball, and the uncertainty of not knowing what to say in a conversation or what to do when making a decision. It perceives both as a threat to your safety. The uncertainty associated with a physical threat is generally resolved almost instantly. You’re either hit by the ball or you’re not. You either dodge the traffic or you don’t.
When it comes to emotional safety, the uncertainty associated with what to say or how to act can seem to unfold in slow motion. Since there is no immediate physical threat, you have time consider your options. This can be a blessing or a curse. Taking time to think through what to do provides an opportunity for deliberation. What is the desired outcome? What steps can you take? What are the pros and cons? How might others respond?
But then you might think about it too much. In a quest to keep you safe, your brain will introduce thoughts of all the things that might go wrong once you act. This can discourage you from making even reasoned decisions.
All this worry expends time, energy and focus that could be directed elsewhere. Worry about the uncertainty enough and you can begin to feel frozen in place. If this happens, a sense of overwhelm sets in because it seems to be taking so much more time and focus to get stuff done. As a result, you never seem to have enough energy. When additional tasks are added, you can fall into a spiral of never catching up.
I’ve been studying how people make decisions for a long time and the fear around uncertainty is what discourages so many. But in every workplace, there are those who do not fall victim to this sense of overwhelm. So, what are they doing that many others are not? Here are three of their secrets.
First, they consider the importance. Not all decisions are created equal. But how many times have you gotten stuck on an inconsequential decision, because it appeared to be urgent? Those who avoid overwhelm have learned to look at every decision through a lens of importance. In other words, they have developed clear sense of priority and run decisions though that lens.
Decisions that require their focus are given emphasis, in spite of the supposed urgency of others. They are effective at deflecting those who demand, “This must be done first,” including their boss. “How do they get away with this?” you might ask. By demonstrating over time that they are good at setting and sticking to a clear set of priorities. As more than one leader has said, “I wait to see how much attention assigned tasks and projects are given before beginning work on them.” As one said, “I’m amazed at the number of times my boss assigns a task and then never brings it up again.”
Second, they reference similar decisions as a guide. We’ve all had successes, but how much do we remember about them? Truth is, we remember the failures a lot more. When faced with uncertainty, those who avoid workplace overwhelm search their memory for situations when they had to make a similar decision. This provides them with a roadmap of how to approach the present challenge. I’ve met leaders who keep an informal log of decisions they’ve made over the years. This serves as a guide for handling current challenges. When I make significant decisions, I always record my reasoning. That way I can refer back to it if I begin to feel unsure when the outcome or circumstances do not turn out the way I expect.
Third, these individuals have learned to act and react. An awful lot of mistakes are made because of impatience, either ours or others. In addition to that, “stuff happens.” As a result, they are careful not to get too invested in one particular outcome. People act unpredictably. Equipment breaks down. Schedules get disrupted. When this happens, they take a step back, take a breath and consider the bigger picture. NO workplace decision is so critical that you cannot find an alternative solution. I know this first-hand, having flown close to two million miles for business. When things go awry, I just think to myself, “I love an adventure,” and that changes my mindset. You can do the same.
Now, the three points I just mentioned are not really secrets. Anyone can adapt these practices and, over time, will recapture lost time, energy and focus. How about you?