Inaction

I think, in terms of leadership, far too often inaction is perceived as a failure to lead. The reason I disagree with this is that sometimes inaction is the best discourse a leader can choose. I think sometimes the best form leadership can come in, is that of acknowledging that it may be best to put pride aside, take a step back, and let the cards fall where they may. It's so crucial to remember that if you are in a position of leadership, you may encounter a situation in which your participation may not be required, and it may not even be helpful. That's a difficult position to be in, to be sure, because as a leader one often feels they are obliged to manage every little thing. This is an important notion to let go of, if one truly wishes to be effective in pretty much any position that they may hold. Recently I encountered precisely this scenario and I think my "inaction" was the correct course of action. I'm quite deliberate when I use quotations and you may be able to infer why I put that last word in them. It's because in that instance I was in, my inaction was an action in and of itself. It was me coming to the understanding that the situation didn't require my participation and that my participation may have even been harmful. It was because of that understanding that I did what I did, or rather didn't. I was personally involved, or at least was fairly aware of many aspects of the situation leading up to its climax, but I was not a part of that crescendo. Being perfectly honest, I was actually quite happy not to be. The whole scenario, which really doesn't require any specifics since it's more the core principles that I'm focusing on in this entry, was significantly stressful to me. It involved an unhealthy entanglement of personal and professional matters, which is precisely why I felt my lack of inclusion in the resolution might very well have been for the best. Continuing with my honesty, at first I felt a bit perturbed by my lack of inclusion in the resolution, but then I took a minute to think about why that's how things played out. After putting some thought into that matter, I came to understand that it most likely wasn't personal and was actually a level headed decision. That brought my mind to the topic of the individual who was closer to the issue and mostly handled it. The reason I started thinking about that individual was that it's become apparent to me that I employ a logical fallacy when working and interacting with them. I often fail to distinguish demeanor from character with them, and that's an important obstacle for me to overcome. In my experience with this individual, I've often found their demeanor to be off putting. They can be stubborn, unnecessarily competitive, and combative. However, I also know that this is separate from their character, which I assess to be very strong, and very much balanced. This individual often surprises me with strong reminders that I have a tendency to underestimate their maturity, which is also very much due to the demeanor, but again, I need to practice awareness of the fact that those are different matters. It is my personal belief that they handled the situation well, in coordination with the others that were involved and it's important for myself to put aside my pride and accept that the result was really the best that could have been hoped for. Coming back to the main topic of this entry, inaction can often be a strategic move, and obviously in this last scenario it was the best course of action in my own role, but this isn't always the case. Sometimes inaction is definitely the wrong move. In terms of leadership, it is important to be able to distinguish between times when you should stay out of things, and times when you absolutely need to take part. I've found that the instances where action is required but not taken, have the higher potential to be exponentially more disastrous. I'll just go ahead and sum things up by stating the thesis of this entry which is this: It is important for a leader to be able to quickly assess when they should and shouldn't make a move. Hastiness can be a potentially fatal pitfall, whether in terms of action or inaction.