Discerning Disappointment
The Leafs did it again.
5 years in a row they have reached a winner take all game in the first round of the playoffs. 5 years in a row they have lost that game.
And so for the fifth offseason in a row the team’s management is faced with difficult decisions. Do they keep the core together? Fire the coach? The General Manager? The Team President? Can they justify bringing back almost everyone and trust that they will find ways to improve???
The organization you lead probably doesn’t have such definitive outcomes and opportunities to make, or not make, changes. But many leaders I work with experience tough decisions about whether to stay the course or shake things up when results are disappointing.
Figuring out whether we can trust that things will get better is one of the hardest things leaders do. There are all kinds of factors to be considered at the best of times; and even more right now as we continue to emerge from the pandemic and reckon with its ongoing effects.
So, what do we do as leaders to discern whether disappointing things are going to get better?
Part of it is certainly evaluating external factors. The way our context changes may make all the difference.
But we also have to think through whether (and why) we do or do not trust the people directly responsible for the disappointing outcomes to succeed in whatever context we find. To do that we can ask two key questions:
Do they have the COMPETENCE to succeed? That is, do they have the right mix of skills, temperament, and resources to do what needs to be done? If not, is it something you can address through training, provision, hiring, or support?
Do they have the CHARACTER to succeed? That is, are they behaving with integrity and choosing to do the best they can? If not, can you do something to better motivate and engage them or improve accountability?
If character and/or competence are lacking wise leadership requires us to make a change.
I’m just another hockey fan with a two bit opinion, but from my perspective I’m more disappointed for this year’s team than I am disappointed by them, which wasn’t the case in some past eliminations. I think they matched the two time defending champions in both skill and effort and just had a few breaks not go their way. So while leadership always looks for ways to improve, I’d be inclined to bring back most of this team for another run.
If you’re wrestling with how to respond to some disappointment in your work it may be that a PACE conversation would bring clarity. Contact me to schedule one.