I tied my shoe.
These circumstances resurfaced recently when I listened to the challenges of a business development team that had recently experienced the departure of their charismatic leader to an exciting new role. One of the team’s managers had therefore been promoted to fulfill the succession gap and was doing her old job and her new job simultaneously as she figured out how to wedge recruitment into her overwhelmingly demanding schedule.
There were numerous talented candidates in the queue awaiting call backs in response to their resume submissions. But the intensity of the workload failed to elevate these calls to the top of the triage list. There were simply too many other priorities tugging at the sleeve of the new leader. The anxious candidates began to question the Human Resources etiquette of the organization despite the fact that the leader harbored the very best intentions to elevate recruitment to the top of her to-do list.
We always have the choice between prevention and repair. Our new leader might continue to work two jobs forever as the drain of energy justifies the failure to accomplish anything below the top of the triage list. Or…our new leader might consider a longer term solution by sacrificing some short term traction in exchange for the ability to engage at peak ability.
Tie your shoe.
