How To Stay Out Of The Fog Of Drama

“Dennis, as a leader one of the greatest battles I fight every day, is the fight for clarity.”  This is one of the most insightful comments I heard this week.  It’s easy in our organizations to get sidetracked or derailed.  There are a myriad of issues that pop up on a minute by minute basis and if you’re not careful, you find yourself chasing tangents.  You’re extremely busy but not really effective.  This is the battle I see leaders fight every day.  They are super busy, worn out and run down, but not hitting their goals.  Have you ever been in this situation?

It’s when you’re lost in the sea of ambiguity that drama can creep into your team and derail your progress.  When people are in drama, they blame and complain.  They believe they have no control.  They believe they aren’t responsible, so they don’t do anything to fix the situation.  They play the role of a victim and nothing changes.  When people are in the fog of drama, results suffer.

Confusion produces the drama.

Lack of clarity is the biggest reason for the drama in any organization.  Anytime you lose focus, your level of commitment will diminish and you end up in a fog.  When people are unclear it becomes easy to assign the blame to others.  As the fog of drama rolls in, confusion abounds.  Then the confusion leads to more drama.  Where there is drama, rarely is there clarity. 

Conflict, blaming and playing the victim exist because our lives and businesses are splintered.  Somewhere we are unclear in an area of our personal or professional lives.  Drama is no respecter of persons or situations.  It occurs any time there is a lack of clarity.  If it impacts you personally, it will also affect you professionally and vice versa.

Clarity fixes the drama.

In any situation, it’s the person with clarity that becomes the true leader.  As clarity increases, confusion is diminished, the fog lifts and people begin to see clearly.  Clarity is power and the more you possess the more powerful you become.  Clarity can change any situation. Drama filled people feel powerless.  They lack the clarity they need to regain their personal power.  The more clear you become the more power you possess.  It’s this personal power that causes you to take action and produce results.  Once you are clear in your business, you are in charge.

What do I need?

Ask yourself this question when you feel the fog of drama rolling in.  Most of people’s drama is the tragic expression of an unmet need.  Simply getting clear on your true needs helps you clarify your expectations.  Often it’s the gap between reality and expectations that creates the drama.  The larger the gap, the stronger the drama.  When you become clear, you’ll communicate clearer to others.