Spinning Plates
Do you feel like YOU have a lot going on right now? Are the days long and the “to-do” list longer?
Over the course of my career I have likened times like this to “Spinning Plates”:
We all have a variety of brands…numbers and sizes of spinning plates in our lives. Some are personal and some are professional.
We do our best to spin all the plates…keep them moving….and keep them from falling.
Sometimes we enlist others to give them a little spin if we can’t get to them.
Even though we do our best to treat them equitably and spin them all…some plates are more expensive or precious to us and we cannot afford to let THOSE fall so we spend more time keeping an eye on them.
Others we know are wobbling and about to tip over so we make strategic decisions (based on our time and energy) to hope that they don’t fall before we get to them.
Whether we admit it or not… we realize that if a plate or two does smash to the ground that we are willing to let those go and accept the consequences.
As I have managed a lot of spinning plates over the course of my life and career, I have learned several leadership lessons:
YOU have Control. We often tell ourselves that the number and size of things we have to do have been thrust upon us and we just have to find a way to deal with them. YOU have control over how many you are able to truly focus on. If you are a pleaser like me… this is tough to admit but the sooner you do it… the less time you will be spending beating yourself up over all that you couldn’t get to.
Communication is Critical. YOU have to share the number of plates and the importance of what you are spinning (personal and professional) with key stakeholders. YOU also have to share the strategic decisions you have made on how you are prioritizing and dealing with them. That way…if by chance one falls… others need to know what is at stake or give them a chance to jump in and help.
Take Accountability. If…despite best efforts to take control and communicate… a plate falls…YOU need to step up and take accountability. I have a saying recently that “Blame Must be Clearly Assigned”. What may surprise you is once you take responsibility and shoulder the blame how easily, quickly and calmly you (and others) can navigate the situation and find a way to move on.
Assess the Damage.
Maybe the plate that fell only has a small crack or chip. It is merely a warning to you and the team that if it falls again we may not be so lucky next time. The question is…how do we feel if it hits the floor again?
If it did break…maybe the pieces are big enough you can glue it back together. It may take more effort to reassemble but a wake-up call to pay closer attention. It may also reveal that that you should shelve your freshly repaired plate for another day because it's too risky given all that is going on to try to spin it again right now. Lastly, you may find out that you are okay letting the plate go...you didn't need it after all.
In extreme cases the plate may have broken into tiny pieces and scattered far and wide. In those cases you will need to grab a broom, a dustpan and warn others to watch where they step until you can get it all cleaned up. These cases have more repercussions and consequences which will be tougher to navigate. You will simply have to learn and grow from it.
Learn to Forgive Yourself. As someone who prides themselves on getting everything done to a very high standard, I always want to keep all the plates spinning but sometimes things will tip and fall (like I suspected that they would despite best effort to avoid it) as there are only so many hours in the day. YOU should take a few minutes to appreciate all the plates that DIDN’T break and take pride in what you have been able to accomplish. Forgiving yourself quickly will save you a lot of emotional energy that you need in moments like this to keep going.
Many of us have a lot of experience spinning plates over the years. It can be particularly difficult if you are “Out of Gas” or you are not able to “Put Your Oxygen Mask on First”. So do your best to surround yourself with strong support…tell stories…share the load…and allow yourself to laugh a little. It makes the journey that much richer!
Leadership questions of the week for YOU:
Can you relate to the spinning plate analogy or do YOU have another one that you can share?
What do you think about the leadership lessons above and are there any you would add or change?
What have been some moments in the last week where personal accountability and forgiveness came into play? How were you able to navigate and move on?
How important is it for leaders to learn how to take personal accountability and forgive themselves given all that comes at them in the run of a day…week…month or year?
Thanks for reading….and remember…YOU make a difference!
Please continue the conversation by liking…commenting or sharing this article. You can also follow me on twitter @marciedwhite
