Plant your feet first.
Has anyone ever told you to “choose your battles”? This is often tossed out when in a fight with a significant other or deciding whether or not to bring up an obvious oversight in the team meeting. Pick your battles. You are left to ask yourself, is this the hill I will die on? Is this the fight I want to fight? Are the potential repercussions worth the headache that I will likely get from the actions I will be undertaking?
More often than not this worry causes many of us to stop dead in our tracks. We don’t speak up. We are afraid that this battle is not worth the frustration that it will likely cause. There is an illusion of the future outcomes; making assumptions about what is going to happen, and with emphasis on the negative. Afterall, it is smart to prepare for something bad to happen and something good happens instead. What then of our challenge? We choose not to speak our feelings to our spouse, we choose not to point out to our boss the flaw in their logic, we choose not to address our team about the more difficult, but cost saving, method. Nothing is said and therefore nothing changes; and that is almost worse. Nothing changes because the battle wasn’t chosen. Who in their right mind CHOOSES to go to battle? Especially if there are potentially negative outcomes? The answer: someone who is battle ready.
Ask yourself, are you battle ready? Are you equipped to take on the hurdles set forth in front of you? Like a boxer in the cage match, a cross country motorcyclist, a chess player having studied their opponent; a battle-ready person is someone who has put in the ‘pre-work’ to prepare themselves for the discussions.
Imagine a firefighter going to a fire with no equipment; only their gut instincts and altruistic nature to help stop a fire from spreading and killing others. The firefighters intentions are good and pure, they are in the right, they are doing everything they can do make the world safer and better even though they might get burned.
Consider again the boxer in the ring. They badly want to win the bout; maybe for money, maybe for pride, maybe for both, who knows and at this point it doesn’t matter. Is it wise for the fighter to come unprepared? Untrained? They should at least know how to swing a punch, right? There’s no sense in swing wildly around as their opponent hits them with a flurry of unpredictable attacks.
This is where you can be successful where many are not. This is an opportunity to actively choose battles instead of simply using the expression “choose your battles” to mean, “I would avoid that”. An everyday leader needs to come prepared.
How to come prepared is going to depend on the battle, of course. Showing up to a boxing ring with a firehose, or a fire with boxing gloves, wouldn’t make any sense. Preparation needs to be centered around the issue. This necessitates exploration and a deeper understanding of that issue. Know the background (how did we get here), the situation at hand (where we are now and what is expected), the risks (what is at stake here and what are the costs), the potential outcomes (what can we do and why), and an understanding of the alternatives (what can be done to resolve this issue).
This takes some research, time, and effort; and frankly this is what holds people back. The fear of being wrong, or the unwillingness to take the step forward. But this template can serve as a short-cut checklist.
- Background [What is the history of this issue]
- Situation [Where are things now?]
- Risks [Why is this issue worth addressing?]
- Outcomes [What is happening/could happen?]
- Suggestions [What options are available to resolve the situation?]
There it is! You’ve done your research. You’ve practiced your technique. You’ve studied the risks and outcomes. Just like any good fighter, boxer or fire, remember that before you start ….
Plant Your Feet.