Ego, Empathy, Distractibility, and the Tie to Perfectionism

In their April 16, 2020, Harvard Business Review article, “Perfectionism Will Slow You Down in a Crisis,” Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter discuss agility and the human mind, explaining that leadership in crisis demands mental agility. Still, the human mind is “hardwired” with three thought processes that work against agility in an emergency:

1. Distraction keeps us aware of a hostile environment, noticing the slightest hint of threat.

2. Ego is the most fundamental mechanism for self-preservation.

3. Empathy helps us gather in groups and form cooperative communities.

Adopting an agile mindset requires us to manage all three of these competing “settings.”

In emergency environments (such as the recent COVID-19 crisis), we often are distracted by a glut of information. Jumping from one bit of information to the next does not demonstrate agility; it simply changes our focus without requiring us to think strategically or set priorities. Agility calls on us to move from focus to awareness — focusing on handling an issue effectively without losing awareness of the bigger picture.

Ego kills our agility by its tendency to grasp at past successes that may not be relevant in today’s crisis. Its only recourse is selflessness — putting the organization and the people we lead ahead of our own pride and feelings. Of course, we must balance selflessness with self-confidence. Our team won’t follow us if we appear wishy-washy or lack confidence.

Empathy — usually a great asset for effective leadership — can paralyze us in an emergency. Survival decisions sometimes require a toughness to cut costs, lay off employees, or shelve someone’s pet project. The remedy to paralyzing empathy lies in turning those feelings outward in the form of compassion. Constantly ask how you can help the most people through your decisions and actions.

Diligent, by-the-book team captains who specialize in t-crossing and i-dotting may find themselves incapable of adjusting to the uncertainties of a rapidly shifting landscape. On the other hand, effective leaders have the emotional intelligence and self-awareness to cut loose of the survival processes of distraction, ego, and empathy to keep the organization moving forward despite current threats.

Leading a medical practice can seem like navigating through a never-ending series of crises; however, the challenges brought by the international COVID-19 pandemic remind us what a real “crisis” looks like. Many organizations’ very survival has been threatened, and recovery will take a long time.

You are likely being called upon to make some tough decisions. Spend some time reflecting on how your ego, your empathy, or your distractibility may be slowing you down. You must get a handle on these tendencies if you expect to bring your group through the storm safely.

This article appeared in FAST Practice, Volume 14, Issue 1, pages 13-14.

https://hbr.org/2020/04/perfectionism-will-slow-you-down-in-a-crisis via the Harvard Business Review