TIP AND TALE #1

Always make sure you determine what is right rather than who is right.

It will guide you with more certainty.

The Tale #1 There would not be many leaders who have not heard of the boiling frog syndrome. And there would be even fewer who have not felt or experienced the boiling frog syndrome! The boiling frog is a moral fable describing a frog being slowly boiled alive. As you may know, the idea is that if a frog is put suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out, but if the frog is put in tepid water which is then brought to the boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. It is often used as a fable to describe situations where pernicious incremental creep leads to less than desirable or deadly consequences. When I ‘retired’ I returned to my College well into the new term. The most common comment received from colleagues was that I looked “relaxed”! I said to everyone that when you are in the pot being slowly boiled you are not aware of it. It is only when you are out of it that you realise the temperature was slowly cooking you. Now, I would not suggest for one minute that a leader may find him/herself succumbing to his/her ultimate demise, but I would say that leaders fail to recognise the signs of stress and overload in ‘real time’. I have no doubt that many do realise at the end of a term or year the stresses and strains that have been placed on them but do so more retrospectively. The accumulative effect of operational, educational and governance issues grind leaders down in ways that are not always immediately apparent as leaders give, give and give again all day. When the water is being brought slowly to the boil, how many of us realise it? What are your signs? And how do you manage these? How many even become aware of the water temperature rising? At what point do you try to jump out of the pot? And if not you, then how about your colleagues? How many of them - evident to you - are becoming the proverbial frog in the pot? Here’s what I’ll ask you to do. 1. Take a piece of paper. 2. Identify all the aspects that constitute your life right now – family, work, recreation, faith-based activity, personal pursuits etc. 3. Now section off the pie graph apportioning ‘slices’ that correspond to time you allocate to each activity outlined in (2) above. What do you notice? Is there some recalibration needed? Is the water temperature manageable?

Coaching can help you if you (or a colleague) find yourself becoming increasingly boiled. It can give you the chance to reflect, be heard and take action. Are you feeling the need for some Coaching/Mentoring – some Moaching?? I can help. +61 410 586 700. Be and Become.