Only One Explanation For The Decline In Revenues?

Surely everyone knew. How could they not. Perhaps it had been ridiculous to pretend that people in the office didn’t know the company was struggling.

But still he had tried tirelessly. To gloss over it. To sidestep the issue with his team altogether. While he found the charade exhausting and emotionally draining, taking responsibility for what he believed was his own ineffectual leadership, seemed even harder.

My client reached out to me because he was having trouble coming to terms with his business’ challenges the last several years. Difficulty accepting the role he had played. He was CEO and Head of Business Development. Not to mention, the third generation to take the helm of the family business. He felt overwhelmed. In over his head and doubting his ability to pull them out of the major slump in revenues. Things just came a lot easier to his father, he told me. He could sell ice to eskimos. Everyone loved him.

Recognize More Than One Viewpoint Exists

I shared with him that most people believe their interpretation is the only possible explanation for an event, when actually, an interpretation often represents only one viewpoint among the many that are possible.

I explained that when you interpret something, you create an opinion about an event, situation, or experience in life. What’s the result? If you’re not aware of another point of view, you might waste a lot of time marching off in the wrong direction. And the “wrong direction” could cost the company a lot of money.

I challenged his interpretation that the only reason for the decline in revenues was his ineffectual leadership with “what’s another way to look at that?”

While he struggled to come up with a different perspective. Another possibility. There was still meaningful movement. He had concluded it was time. Who better to ask than his team. When better than now. To face the situation head on. To realize that a leader doesn’t have to have all the answers, all the time. That he’s human.

He arranged a brainstorming session where he asked his team what they thought was causing the slump in revenues. While my client had assumed his own answer was the only possibility, he received all kinds of responses. All of which were perfectly valid. 

Our pricing isn’t competitive; our internal communication needs improvement; we aren’t doing a good enough job marketing; we aren’t effectively managing expenses while revenues are down; and we have poor customer service.

Choose Wisely. Your Energy Is At Stake.

By being willing to entertain other possibilities. To include his team. Look at the opportunities for improvement he uncovered. Ways to turn the energy around. He came to see his team as a goldmine. Right under his nose the whole time. All he had to do was ask. And they began to feel heard, and appreciated in a new, deeper way, giving the team buy-in to the solution. Now they all wanted to get back to glory.

I reiterated to him that if he had stuck with his first and only interpretation, he had little chance of focusing on any other possibility. It would have meant that all of his focus, and therefore his energy, would have been displaced, and his team would not have been empowered.

Importantly, if he had believed at the time that they were going down, and he had interpreted the reason why as being outside of his control, then he may unconsciously have already given up. That would definitely have affected his decisions and the outcomes.

So the next time you have a viewpoint on something and firmly believe it’s the only possibility, pay attention to the interpretation you’ve come up with—it leads to emotional reactions and decisions that match. Then, go and ask for help from the team you’ve carefully assembled around you. It’s a strength. Not a weakness.

Give it a try.

If you would like help identifying and challenging your interpretations, shoot me an email and we can talk.

WHO IS REMM CURTIS?

REMM CURTIS IS an executive coach working with NYC and beyond's best and brightest leaders stay at the top of their game. If you would like to talk about what the best version of you could look like, get in touch.