Last week, I had some computer issues, which left me faced with the prospect of losing everything on a laptop and starting fresh. It was a relatively new computer with nothing important that wasn’t backed up elsewhere, so this would ultimately not have been a big deal, but in the first few hours, my mind raced as I wondered what I no longer had access to, and I quickly jumped to conclusions about what needed to be done. With a few deep breaths and some time to think through my options and my resources, though, I used it as a chance to think through and plan a more effective system for networking and back-ups. And while I was doing that, one of my resources came through and unlocked my laptop.
Problems like this come up for us all on a regular basis, and they’re certainly not all IT-related. Relatively minor issues can cause anyone’s mind to race and to suddenly be aware of the interconnectedness of our systems – with all the challenges and the hope that go along with it. In my minor case, it gave me a chance to become aware of larger issues that I could address, and also to become more aware of the resources and network I have around me.
This Week’s Tip:
If you find yourself frustrated or challenged this week, use that as an opportunity to look at the systems around you that you may otherwise overlook – the issues and the resources – and see what steps you can take to make the system more workable, for you and for others. As you listen to colleagues and friends share their own stories or updates, take some time to reflect on the systems that come into play in their stories. Which aspects are helpful for them, and which are problematic? What can you do to be a resource rather than a challenge for them?
Try this out this week, and let us know how it goes in our Facebook group! We’d love to hear from you. As always, you can subscribe to our feed here, or sign up for our weekly newsletter to get these articles directly in your inbox.
Building Bridges Leadership 