How are Problems/Challenges/Difficulties Similar to Calories?

Are you a "Calories ... BAD!" type of person or are you more of a "Calories ... GOOD!" type of person? If you've ever stepped on the scales and noticed your weight inching upwards, you might come to the conclusion, "Calories ... BAD!"

However, if you've ever studied human physiology or sports nutrition—even a little bit—then your response to this question will have to be an irrefutable "Calories ... GOOD!" because calories are actually energy and our bodies need energy to keep us alive, to allow our organs to function properly, and to pursue the myriad activities we perform every day. To be clear, calories are simply the measurement used to express the amount of energy in an item of food (or drink). So why do calories get such a bad rap?

Let's say you are Lance Armstrong, or one of the other athletes competing in the Tour de France bicycle race. How much energy will you need to consume to keep up that pace? You'll need to consume somewhere between 6,800 to 7,000 calories per day! Put in context, that's almost 3x what an average man needs every day and 3.5x what an average woman needs. But, even with that level of consumption, how many overweight Tour de France cyclists have you seen? I'll answer for you.

None!

Athletes take in what they need to 'fuel the machine' and provide the desired output. To maintain a stable weight, the energy we put into our bodies must match the energy we use through normal bodily functions and physical activity. When we eat and drink more calories than we use up, our bodies store the excess as body fat. If this continues, we put on weight (hence the bad rap).

So why did I suggest in the title of today's CORE Bites that Problems/Challenges/Difficulties are similar to calories? Think of it this way ... one of the critical roles you play as a manager is to address and solve problems as they arise; to overcome the many challenges that you and your team will face to meet your objectives; to deal with the difficulties that stand in the way of success. Without problems, challenges, and difficulties there wouldn't really be any need for your position. Problems, challenges, and difficulties are why our positions exist (this is called job security). In fact, how effective you are in dealing with problems, challenges, and difficulties is one of the key determinants of your value to the organization.

And that brings me to my question for today. Are you a "Problems/Challenges/Difficulties ... BAD!" type of person or are you more of a "Problems/Challenges/Difficulties ... GOOD!" type of person? I'm pretty sure, on those days when it seems like all you dealt with all day long were nonstop problems and challenges, that it would be easy to come to the conclusion, "Problems/Challenges/Difficulties ... BAD!"

But here's how Problems/Challenges/Difficulties are analogous to calories. Just as top-performing athletes use calories to 'fuel the machine,' top-performing managers use the energy they derive from problems, challenges, and difficulties to unleash their intellect and critical-thinking capability to figure things out and get things done. Problems, challenges, and difficulties that are ignored are exactly like calories consumed but not used ... unused calories result in belly-fat; problems, challenges, and difficulties not dealt with result in 'fat' around the brain—in essence, underdeveloped cognitive capacity. The best exercise for the brain is to use it!

High Value Activity (HVA) Action Steps

Use the HVAs listed below to help you derive (and leverage) peak energy from the various challenges you face and enhance your problem-solving capability (and capacity):

• Stop Avoiding Conflict: It is a natural tendency to avoid conflict, especially at work. Many of us have learned from (painful) experience that confronting others can have negative ramifications. But ignoring problems in an attempt to reduce tension in the workplace just isn't feasible—and it isn't healthy for your organization in the long run. A better approach is to look at conflict as the 'energy source' created by a gap between what's needed and what's currently happening. If you redefine conflict as the energy that's created by the gap, then your question should be, "How will I use this energy to close this gap?" Negative conflict can drain energy which is costly to relationships, engagement, and the organization as a whole. But when you leverage the energy from the gap, the gap can actually spark innovation, build trust and enhance engagement.
• All Conflict is Emotional: Once you embrace the fact that conflict is always emotional, it's critical that you create a safe environment for people to openly talk about problems, challenges, and difficulties. Proven strategies that managers can adopt that lead to healthy problem resolution include: being more open, being more empathetic, taking time to listen, and following through with integrity and respect.
• Become an Energy Manager: As you move up in an organization, the demands become greater. But if your response to these rising demands is to simply put in longer hours, this can take a huge toll on you emotionally, physically, and mentally. The answer is to shift from 'time management' to 'energy management'. In essence, hours are fixed but energy is not—energy has natural (and predictable) rhythms that you can study and leverage to achieve more in less time. The key to excelling is to take on (where possible) your most intense problems, challenges, and difficulties when you're in your peak energy cycle and then—and this is just as important—utilize a strategic energy 'recovery' methodology to regain what you expended. I use my elliptical trainer for this purpose and find that a quick 15-30 minute session unleashes creativity and innovation and many problems are solved by the time I finish. But everyone's different. Many colleagues have shared their personal 'recovery' methods and they're all over the map, including hiking, playing the piano, a quick game of hoops in the driveway, to taking a hot shower. Find what works for you and build it into your energy management strategy.