High Stress to High Value: Handling Hot Potatoes
Others handle day-to-day challenges. But the hot potato lands in your hands.
Passing the buck in a high stress situation means you’ve reached your peak. But an aspiration to advance requires resolve to hang on to hot potatoes.
Two High Stress Situations:
#1. Answering questions during uncertainty.
- Acknowledge agendas. People tailor information and input to create THEIR preferred response. (This may or may not be malevolent.)
- Dig below the surface with probing questions. Ask discomforting questions or you’ll be uncomfortable after making decisions.
- Test your assumptions. Avoid assumptions based on one person’s input. Explain what you’re thinking and ask, “Does this seem right?”
- Test their assumptions. “It seems like you believe xyz. Is that what you’re thinking?”
- Explore options with stakeholders – the people closest to the situation, for example.
- Make a small decision. Make progress. Don’t solve everything.
- When possible, sleep on important responses.
- Always follow-up.
- Give it your best. If you can’t sleep on it, preface answers with, “This is my best answer at this time.”
- Apologize and adapt when you get it wrong. “I screwed up,” strengthens relationships and builds confidence.
#2. Correcting.
People don’t screw up intentionally – unless they’re disgruntled saboteurs.
- Assume the best.
- Stay cool. Anger makes you stupid.
- Leverage curiosity before exploring solutions.
- Explore results before exploring causes. “What happened?” is a question about results and impact. It’s not an invitation to attack or diagnose the person who screwed up. The answer to what happened is, “We disappointed our customers,” for example.
- Treat mistakes like learning opportunities. “What did you learn?”
- Look to the future. “What will you do differently next time?”
Note: Habitual screw ups require stronger intervention than first-time mistakes.
What suggestions do you have for the above situations?
What added hot potato situations should leaders lean into?
Bonus material:
Decision making in Uncertain Times (McKensey)
Making Decisions in High Uncertainty. (Decision-Making)
Your employee Messes Up: How do You Respond (SHRM)
The 12 Toughest Challenges of Leadership (LF)
Dan,
If we have the capabilities to handle “The Hot potatoes”, there is no reason not to address the issues, surely as you recommend it takes, some digging a bit, researching circumstances and making a decision. If we screwed up own it and fix it, make no excuses, resolutions come first for those involved. Often times we tend to make a mountain out of a simple solution. Granted there is the other side of the spectrum when we let it fester and pass the buck. Address it, own it, fix it.
Thanks Tim. Your comment regarding “we tend to make a mountain out of a simple solution.” is important. I completely left that out of this post, but it’s relevant. It never helps to make a situation bigger than it actually is.
On the other hand it doesn’t help to minimize it either. A leader who minimizes situations seems out of touch.
I agree Dan, absolutely not a one size fits all, each situation is its own, big or small.
I’ve said it a few times that I tend to travel “the road less traveled” so when a “hot potato” challenge (I notice you’ve transitioned from problem) comes along to tackle I lean into it. Give it to me. From that give I then identify the resources (people, money, time, outside help) needed to go after the hot potato. I own the “potato” and I organize the challenge attempting to provide a solution. When I do it in this manner I have never gotten turned down on anything I need to try to solve it. I am also in a better frame of mine, in control and moving forward. Do I always succeed NO, but I and whatever team I have assembled will try hard and fast and solid.
Thanks Roger. OWN the potato! Love it. The other thing that helps me, and I’m so glad you added it, is how we feel when we take control of our lives. You might not be able to control a challenge, but you can control your response to it. Locus of control matters. Am I being acted up? I am the captain of my ship?
“You might not be able to control a challenge, but you can control your response to it”; I’ve seen this a few times, first in Victor Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning” and secondly when I listened to Admiral Stockdale back in October of 75 at a Men’s Christian gathering in Annapolis. The tone was always face what you need to face you always can control your response to it regardless of outcome.
The real difference makers control things within their control. Sometimes, as in the case of Frankl, it’s mostly about attitude.
Dear Dan,
You have the answers in your post!
Accepting the problems as challenges itself is a positive sign of the preparedness with which the leader wants to proceed further. Looking at an alternative course of action after consulting the stakeholders will remove the possible hurdles and provide a good practical solution.
Discussing the probable issues with all concerned people and seeking the answers are the best way to make the hot potatoes cool and move towards achieving the final goal.
I LOVE THIS POST! I’m sharing it with everyone I know!
The only thing I would contribute is this: Sometimes these situations make great training opportunities for my key leaders… If I’m able to mentor and explain the processes in dealing with these situations as we are doing it, then the next time my leadership will feel more comfortable in walking down those roads without having to rely on me as much!
Thanks again Dan!
Luv dem hot taters!
Getum why dey hot!
Gimme more …
Whut? What’s wrong?
Oh, gimme more …
Too many leaders do not know how to handle the hot potatoes without getting angry. However, like other commenters I agree that all of these situations are good learning opportunities.