When disruption occurs at work, leaders are faced with one of two responses – take it positively or take it personally.

Those who take adverse situations positively consider them as teachable moments, events where they can maximize their learning and the development of their teams and the company. They consider failure an opportunity to become better and use those times to look inwardly and grow.

Far too often the other response happens. Leaders take failure personally and consider them as an affront to their leadership. They minimize it’s effectiveness and don’t realize the potential to learn from it. Instead of becoming better, they become bitter, many times seeking outwardly for blame.

While many times there are external factors that prevent certain outcomes, most times these perceived inconveniences or disruptions are the result of those leaders themselves.

Regardless if you’re a business owner, supervisor, executive, high ranking official, or hourly shift manager, if you are the type of leader who feels others are to blame when things don’t go your way, here’s a listing of reasons you should consider:

1. Your priorities are not others’ priorities.
2. Your timeframes don’t work for others involved.
3. Urgent matters superseded your important matters.
4. Your expectations were not clear to begin with.
5. You expect others to know your unspoken expectations.
6. You think everything should stop in order that your needs are met
7. Other customers, businesses, clients, and people don’t know what your needs are
8. These other parties have needs of their own and aren’t impacted by your needs
9. If you’re a customer, other customers may have a competing need that is far more critical at the moment
10. Your don’t understand the systems involved in your organization, or the companies you do business with
11. You don’t care to consider these processes and systems
12. Staff are not aligned with your values
13. You are not aligned with your values
14. Your needs come before the needs of others
15. You’re not concerned with what is going on as long as it doesn’t impact you adversely
16. You prefer that others do the work you should be doing
17. Other people are stretched in their time and resources and cannot get to you as quickly as they’d like
18. Your character and attitudes make others avoid you, or delay in dealing with you
19. Your language and conduct are not professional when these events occur
20. You embellish, lie, and yell to get a desired result
21. ALL of the other internal and external factors for the result haven’t been considered in the outcome
22. Systems may be broken
23. Your point person in your company or the company you’re dealing with can only do so much due to resources hierarchy, processes, bureaucracy, etc.
24. Your demands are – simply – unrealistic and unreasonable
25. When others weigh in their input, you don’t listen
26. It’s your way, period, and no excuses
27. You state that you are the only customer that matters
28. You haven’t planned properly to have a successful outcome
29. Advice is dismissed
30. Your way doesn’t work anymore
31. You expect others to fix your problems
32. You want others to take the blame for your poor planning and execution
33. Your unprofessional conduct is not welcome in most business settings
34. Market forces have changed industry factors such as price, availability, and timeframes
35. You believe you can override anyone and any circumstance
36. Maybe you’re having a bad day
37. You’re not flexible, or reasonable
38. You truly don’t want change
39. You don’t want to work to improve
40. Everyone else is worried about themselves in this situation
41. You’re not being open-minded
42. You feel your status as executive/key client/paying customer means you can’t be wrong
43. Bullying is the way business gets done
44. You tell or demand what you want, and don’t ask
45. You don’t receive criticism well
46. You don’t like to be held accountable
47. Your own responses (“that’s not acceptable”, “I don’t care”, “that’s not good enough”) are unacceptable
48. You expect to get your way every time
49. You aren’t willing to suffer some inconveniences
50. These events make you actually work and do your job

If any of these can be identified by you, or someone who knows you, there is hope!

By being honest with yourself, and willing to understand factors you cause or are caused by others, you can work to correct those issues and achieve better results. But the key change needs to be a mind and heart willing to see the things, particularity in ourselves, that need to change and be committed to do those things that lead to sustained success.

It’s all about you – your perspective and honesty in any situation will make all the difference!

(image: canva.com)