You’re not stuck in traffic, you ARE traffic… so what next?

“You’re not stuck in traffic, you ARE traffic.”

So the saying goes. It’s a useful metaphor to help bring personal accountability into the picture where it’s lacking. If a leader tells me their team just needs fixing and then everything will be better, this is the saying that comes to mind for me. Sure, maybe there’s things that need changing, but you’re the leader. Not only are you traffic, you’re the head of roads.

But like so many things, the real value is in the nuance, not the binary.

Your presence in a traffic jam is certainly contributing to the jam. But on the other hand, if you alone chose a different route, the jam would still exist.

Similarly, systemic issues swirl around in a team or organisational culture. You are part of them – as a leader you have an outsize influence - but you alone don’t control them. Understanding you ARE traffic doesn’t mean you can therefore eliminate the traffic jam with a flick of your magic wand, but it does mean you are playing a role in the ongoing shaping of that dynamic.

If there are issues, leaders can often either seek to assert control (“my way or the highway”), or abdicate (“I give up”). While there will be times when these might be the best choices, there’s a whole universe of options in between.

To explore those, consider:

  • What (and who) are the team members focused on? It could be on the CEO who left two years ago.

  • What are their priorities? It may not be the values on the poster in the lobby, or the strategic imperatives in last year’s annual report.

  • What’s your actual place in the system currently? Visionary? Resource? Obstacle? Threat? Irrelevant?

Understanding what is, not just what you think should be, is a great place to start.

Until next week,

Take care of yourself and others

Madeleine

PS If you’d like to work with me to help you understand and work through some challenging work dynamics, let me know. Send me a message to enquire, and please share with anyone you think may benefit.

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Madeleine Shaw