Leadership Learning #4: “The best way out is always through” — Robert Frost

A while back, a friend of mine lost a parent, experienced a miscarriage and passed a milestone birthday all within a few weeks time. I gave her a birthday card on which were the words, “The best way out is always through.”

When faced with difficult situations, our primal urge is fight or flight. Rarely in today’s world does either of these reactions work. Grief ignored does not vanish. Problems not addressed reappear.

So in addition to fight or flight, let’s add “fully face.” The area I see all three reactions is when managers address or fail to address people issues. We’ve all heard about getting the right people in the right seats and getting the wrong people off the bus. These truths have become axiomatic, yet it doesn’t mean they’re easy to implement.

So managers avoid the tough discussions (flight) hoping the situation will miraculously improve. When it doesn’t, managers get angry (fight) and the poor employees’ head is left spinning.

In reality, if people are on the wrong seat or the wrong bus, deep down they know it and are probably unhappy. Having the realistic discussion (fully facing) can be a relief to the employee and the manager because when the truth is faced, options appear. “The best way out is always through.”