I can see it in his eyes. I can hear it in her voice. I know when a business or non-profit team loses money it can be very stressful for the people responsible. And when these losses occur for several months in a row, senior leaders need to not only study why the losses are occurring, but also watch for what I call loss fatigue – that state of weariness within a responsible manager created by ever-increasing doubts.
If you have seen It’s a Wonderful Life you know George Bailey had serious doubts about his ability to run a profitable bank. Fortunately his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody, helped him see he was a good person and manager, and Clarence helped George bounce back from a very low place.
When I think of this story, I hope I am more like Clarence Odbody and not like Henry F. Potter.
Manager Doubt. Whenever a responsible manager’s business unit loses money, the manager begins to doubt. They might doubt their own skills. They might doubt their personal leadership. They might doubt the viability of the market. They might doubt the skills of their own supervisor. They might doubt senior management. They might doubt the capability of their own team. They might doubt they are in the right role and the right company. A host of doubts can fill their minds. And these doubts can wear down a good person and loss fatigue sets in.
So, how can we help managers reduce their loss fatigue? I have four suggestions.
First – Start with the Goal. The first thing leaders can do to help managers reduce their doubts is to help them stay focused on the goal. I read the Apollo missions to the moon were off course 90 percent of the time and NASA and the crews had to use on-board rockets to correct the trajectory constantly. They had a clear goal – reach the moon – but they had to make hundreds of adjustments or course corrections along the way to actually get there.
Coaching managers on how to stay focused on the goal, evaluating what’s wrong, and helping them make course corrections can reduce many doubts.
Second – Coach Managers to Concentrate. When loss fatigue sets-in managers can become distracted by their own doubts. Charles Garfield in his book Peak Performers wrote that managers who survived down periods had high levels of “concentration.” To concentrate in tough times Garfield pointed to three characteristics of peak performers – stamina, adaptability, and hardiness.
Stamina is the strength to work longer hours under stress. Adaptability is embracing change with a high level of flexibility, imagination, and confidence. And hardiness is one’s “resilience under stress,” and how they project positive attitude onto others around them.
Third – Suggest Managers Exercise. There are now years of research that proves people perform better under stress when they get regular exercise. I know personally that I sleep better and think more clearly when I exercise regularly. So, while you cannot make a doubting manager exercise, you can talk about it. Maybe you can even have a walking meeting, which can be very effective for both you and the manager.
Finally – Remember to Lift Managers Up. When managers are experiencing loss fatigue we can choose to lift them up. We can help them see and use their strengths. We can help them be hopeful.
About a year ago my colleague, Sue Abel, shared with me a wonderful book by John Maxwell called Winning with People. Among his many helpful Principles was what Maxwell called “The Elevator Principle: We can lift people up or take people down in our relationships.” Maxwell wrote that if you want to lift people up and add value to their world, keep these four things in mind:
- Lifters commit themselves to provide daily encouragement.
- Lifters know the little difference that separates hurting and helping like smiling not frowning and encouraging not criticizing. Leaders have the power to make another’s life better or worse and they should use that power wisely.
- Lifters know how to initiate the positive in a negative situation. As Robert Greenleaf prescribed they put service before self-interest, they listen first to affirm others, and they nourish others and help them become whole.
- Lifters understand life is not a dress rehearsal; “they don’t wait until tomorrow or some other ‘better’ day to help people. They act now!”
As you can easily imagine, loss fatigue can be true for people in all kinds of situations. When you notice loss fatigue in others, perhaps one of these techniques will help you lift them up and help them rout their doubts.
