INSIGHTS (on leadership/self-leadership)
Neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff put to words something I’ve been using for years to help manage stress and anxiety. Actually, she put it into two words. When you’re feeling stressed out about an adverse event, simply say to yourself:
So what?
I know, it sounds too easy, but Le Cunff says to ask yourself this within the context of conducting a consequence cascade. It’s a method of naming all the perceived consequences from an adverse event so you can evaluate what you can do about them — there will either be an action you can take, or you’ll realize there’s nothing you can do about it). Here’s a personal example (similar to one that Le Cunff uses as detailed in inc.com).
A company recently reached out and asked me to submit a proposal to keynote their event. I did, and two weeks later got a “We’ve gone in another direction” response. It stressed me out. Was my bid too high? Did the decision-maker see something they didn’t like in my proposal? Am I losing my appeal? (and so on down the rabbit hole). I proceeded to conduct a consequence cascade:
So what? OK, so I didn’t get this particular job, and I don’t understand why.
So what? I can ask a few questions to find out why I wasn’t right for this one, and then be prepared to learn and grow from it.
So what? That means I’ll have to ask for feedback on my proposal (even though they already said “no”).
So what? So, I did, and found out that it wasn’t that I wasn’t right for the event, it’s that they simply decided not to have a speaker. A big crisis hit the company, and they needed to use the event for an internal “all-hands-on” session.
Going through this allowed me to identify a helpful action/solution (get feedback from the potential client) and revealed that ultimately, it was a non-issue (they just decided not to have any speaker). In other words, the real “consequence” wasn’t so bad.
IMPERFECTIONS (a mistake many make)
What team leader doesn’t want to be seen as a great problem solver? (By the way, for help on this front, check out my popular LinkedIn Learning course, 10 Habits of Great Problem Solvers.
The problem is, you can do too much when it comes to solving your team’s problems for them. I recently came across an approach to handling this in Harvard Business Review that I really like. It involves asking these five questions to empower your team to think and act for themselves. (I share them here as they appeared in a summary on LinkedIn):
1. What have you tried? This question sets the tone: You’re available, but you expect effort before escalation. It trains your team to pause, reflect, and bring forward partial solutions instead of just dumping problems on your desk.
2. What—or who—is getting in the way? Dig into blockers instead of taking on the whole issue. Removing a bottleneck is often faster than solving the entire problem yourself—and you’ll spot patterns that help you lead more strategically.
3. What support do you need? Don’t just ask “How can I help?” Support could come from a peer, another department, or a tool. This subtle shift from offering direct to indirect support encourages resourcefulness and collaboration beyond your role.
4. What would you do if you were in my seat? Invite employees to think through trade-offs and consequences. It deepens their judgment and builds appreciation for leadership decisions.
5. Is there anything else I should know? Stay informed—without owning the fix. Make sure your team knows that making you aware of something won’t lead to action unless they specifically ask that you get involved.
IMPLEMENTATION (one research-backed strategy, tip, or tool)
Last week I shared the POWER model for inspiring you to have more impact at work and life. I got so many positive comments on it that I thought it would be helpful to share another model I teach for having an impact. It’s called the 3-Do model, and it couldn’t be simpler. Audit yourself periodically on three “do’s, i.e., ask yourself how you might do any of the following:
Do More.
Do Less.
Do Something.
As you’re examining your work, and life, is there something you know (in your heart of hearts) that you should be doing more of to have a greater impact or to create a better outcome?
Is there something that you know, even if it’s really hard, that you should be doing less of?
Is there a problem to be fixed or an issue to be addressed that’s plagued by inaction, that’s just crying out for somebody to do something? Why can’t that someone be you?
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