I grew up with my mom reading me the story of the boy that cried wolf. I thought it was a good lesson but that things like this would never happen in real life let alone in the business world.
I was surprised to learn that in business people cry wolf all the time.
Several years ago I had a boss that personified this issue. On my second day on the job she ran out of her office and gathered the team together. Once everyone was there she began screaming at us about an issue to which I had no idea what she was talking about. The gist of the yelling was at the end when she asked, “Am I going to have to fire all of you?”
That caught my attention and I remember thinking, “I can’t afford to get fired, I just got here. I have no idea what she’s talking about but I’m going to figure this out real quick so I don’t get fired.”
I figured out what she was talking about and made sure I never did what she was upset about. A few days later she came running out of her office again and gathered the team around her. She was all fired up again and screamed and yelled at us and ended with the threat to fire us all. This time the fear factor associated with this had lessened.
A few days later when the same routine happened, the effect she was hoping for was lost on me. By this time I knew she was all bark and no bite.
I’ve found over the course of my career that there are a lot of business professionals that behave in similar ways and lose credibility as a result. After living through that experience and others, I’ve developed a list of the ways to avoid crying wolf and losing credibility with those you work with.
- Stop and think before you freak out. It’s easy to fly off the handle and let the emotion of the moment get the best of you. When something unexpected happens or that angers you the initial response is usually to just react. Often that initial reaction to a negative situation is itself negative and can cause unexpected reactions from others involved. I recommend taking a minute to breath and gather your thoughts before reacting. In my experience, taking a moment before responding can give time to clear your thoughts and take some of the emotion out of the situation.
- Don’t make snap decisions or exaggerations. In the situation I described above, my boss at the time went straight for the jugular every time something went wrong. At first her harsh reactions scared people. However, it didn’t take long before we all began to realize that she was just crying wolf and that we really didn’t have anything to fear. If you can respond calmly and rationally and avoid the dramatic theatrics of threatening to fire people with every mistake or problem your team will respect you more and will be able to know and understand the gravity of a situation based on your response. The team will in turn respond accordingly and give their full effort to remedy the situation.
- Have a resolution. Before losing it and freaking out, strategize on a resolution to the issue. By taking the time to think about and come up with a resolution to the issue you’ll diffuse the issue by taking the emotion out of it. Stopping to think about a solution will delay an outburst you may regret later and serve as a way to calm your nerves before speaking.
- Don’t be afraid to communicate. So often things aren’t said that should and things that shouldn’t be said are. If you think it’s important and can benefit somebody or a situation then express it. Good old fashioned communication will do wonders for building trust and loyalty.
- Be honest. The best form of communication is honest communication. If you’re mad about something or disappointed, be honest and explain why. Similarly, if you’re pleased or happy about an accomplishment share that. Everybody appreciates honesty. It may be hard to hear at times, but if you’re consistent with your honest feedback people will respect that and even come to expect it.
By tempering your reaction to stressful or challenging events you’ll be able to manage the situation more effectively while at the same time earning the respect and trust of your team. Crying wolf creates animosity and uncertainty with colleagues and team members. Uncertainty leads to hesitation and a lack of creativity and desire to perform and give maximum effort. While a flare for the dramatic may be popular on TV there’s no place for it in a business setting.
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