Jane Huxley's Fuckup

"This piece of advice was bestowed on me ten years or so ago in chatting with a mentor..."Let me give you a professional bumper sticker" she said. (Yes, she was American, but I loved the visual of having this somehow attached to me as I moved through roles). The situation came about where I was explaining to her some issues I was having with a member of the team, how I would position this with my remote (geographically) manager, and the next potential steps......

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One of the complications that happen frequently when managing people is that we can have a tendency to conflate reality with imagination. Managing people and teams is without question the hardest part of leadership as you are dealing with so many variables in the environment, the personalities, the capabilities etc. It is inevitably a mix between rational thinking (head) and emotional reactions, and it's way harder than a data driven business decision.

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So this advice has really helped me to AVOID more F*@#k ups that you can possibly imagine. It's a practical reminder to always look for the evidence and facts in the issues you face, not the emotional rhetoric your mind wants you to believe. It's a quick check in with this question... "Did any of that really happen or is it in your mind?""