INSIGHTS: Stress, and the illusion of speed
Nigel Donovan
Executive Stress Management > Executive Leadership Coach > Emotional Intelligence Coach > Executive Coaching
Effective problem-solving is probably the #1 high-value output of senior executives.
Yet too often, I see a rush to action as busy, preoccupied, and stressed leaders try to navigate their overly detailed and complex worlds.
Without agreeing
In a desire for speed, and that lovely feeling we get when we make a decision and take decisive action, we quickly assume a heap of things we don’t know, jump to a solution, or default to a reaction.
Only to find that there was more to the problem than first thought.
And that the initial “solution” is an operational or butt-covering band-aid.
Not a strategic capacity improvement.
It FEELS slower, because your minds are racing.?Like coming off the freeway and 80 kmph feels slow.
However, the time taken upfront to hear different perspectives and think it through is always a good investment.
To quote Albert Einstein:
“If I had an hour to solve a problem, I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”
Value attention over time
Q: “How are you going at the moment?”
A: “Busy!”
Seems a pretty standard response.
In fact it is a ‘normal’ and even expected response, especially at work. It is used as a proxy marker of productivity.
It ISN’T a good marker for productivity, but the one most used.
It’s difficult to answer the “How are you going at the moment?” question with, “Cruisy, doing it easily, thanks for asking.”?
It feels like we need to be busy or we’re not working hard enough. A badge of honour or martyrdom.
Plus - it is real. The world is fast-paced, busy and complex.
The sheer complexity of the business world means there are more view-points to consider.
Information overload keeps our brains distracted.
But busyness can also become a convenient way for us to avoid engaging with the hard and important stuff.
Our conscious attention is limited to ONE attentional focus at a time.
The important stuff, the strategic problem-solving tasks, requires focus and attention.
It is energy-draining, and it’s very easy to allow interruptions (including interruptions by our own thoughts competing for time in the newsfeed) to distract us.
Get distracted, and it can take your brain up to 25 minutes to refocus.??
Do that a few times a day to see how easily a day can slip by...
Build your attention muscle by focusing on one thing for an extended period of time.
It will require diligence, but attention to the important things will generate traction towards your goals.
Nigel ?
PS Whenever you're ready for a conversation, book in for a discovery chat with me here .