No matter the pay-grade, it’s common to meet the overwhelmed guy. Under pressure. He’s too busy. He’s got too much to do in too little time.
Our culture seems to reward this.
“Hey Joe! How you doin’, buddy?”
“Stayin’ busy!” says Joe. Like that’s a good thing.
If I’m feeling the drain of urgency and pressure I may ask,
“How do I manage all of this stuff better? How do I become more productive? How do I get better at managing stress?”
Tempting.
A better question is, “Where can I be bold?”
Bold enough to:
- Have a difficult conversation
- Say no
- Ask for help
- Delegate
- Let it go
- Challenge the idea that XYZ is so important
- Set a boundary
- Turn off the phone
- Create a new agreement
- Make a proposal
- Speak up for what I want (instead of tolerating what is happening)
What if instead of pressure and busy-ness and urgency we could start to see the opportunity to be bold instead?
Look for the opportunity. It’s there.
