Recently I spent a day monitoring the operations of one of my clients. I wanted to watch the team in action and observe their processes.
We purposefully chose a day that we knew would be busy so I could watch a full range of interactions. As I entered the workspace, the first set of team members greeted me by saying “Get ready for the chaos!”. Shortly after that, another group asked if I was “ready for the craziness” that the day would bring. This pattern continued for the entire day, with nearly every person remarking on the “chaos” or the “craziness”.
Except – I didn’t see any chaos or craziness. What I saw was a strong team where people knew their roles and responsibilities, communication was effective, and the work got done efficiently and well.
Everything I watched that day was part of normal operations. Yes, it was busy. Yes, there were many many moving parts. And yes, different team members needed to trouble shoot or solve problems throughout the day. But just because the day was demanding does not mean there was chaos.
This team was highly effective, but the constant reference to chaos and craziness unnecessarily increased the pressure and stress they felt throughout the day. When we do this – use words like “chaos” to unfairly describe a situation in our workplace – we create a stressful environment leading to disengagement, attrition, and even burn out. In other words, we can create an unnecessary crisis.
If you’ve been feeling pressured as a leader or team member lately, ask yourself how you are characterizing the work. Have you been using words like “chaos” or “crazy”? And if so, are these words accurate? Or is your work “high-pressure”? Because high-pressure doesn’t automatically equal chaos or crisis.
Let me know how this resonates for you!
