Help people keep perspective. You really have to keep a balance and recognize that sometimes there are certain things you can’t control, and you have to keep a sense of humor about it. I am not a brain surgeon. You have to really keep it in context and make sure that, yes, you work really hard, but you have to keep things in perspective and say, ‘You know what, we’ll move on.’
Much of my career has been issues management and crisis communications work, and I’ve learned that if you push people to step back from the actual incident or issue at hand, it tends to slow things down and people start to take a deep breath and say, ‘You know what, this is manageable; let’s take it piece by piece.’
Just chunk it out, so to speak. It’s not as overwhelming when you step back from something and, quite frankly, sometimes when you’re involved specifically in it from a client perspective, it’s harder to step back. So provide, as a third party, that ability to say, ‘Let’s step back and look at the big picture. What is the issue, what’s the strategy, and how do we go about working at it?’ That helps people stay focused on the big picture. So, yes, you have to think about your short-term goals, but you also have to think about what’s the ultimate goal, and that allows people to step back and think, ‘OK, how do I tackle this then?’
Find multiple mentors. I was very fortunate a few years ago to spend time at this event with Jack Welch with a total of about 100 CEOs. … He was really interesting because I had an opportunity to have a drink with him and he was pushing me about who my mentors are, and I told him (former executive at The Interpublic Group of Cos. Inc.) David Bell, and he said, ‘Well, who else?’ And I said, ‘I don’t really want to impose a lot on other busy people’s time.’ He looked at me and blurted out, ‘What is the matter with you?’ And I said, ‘Excuse me.’ And he said, ‘People kind of expect that you’re going to ask. They’re most of the time flattered, and if they’re not flattered, then something’s wrong with them.’ … That really did push me to kind of look to other organizations and other people and provide me with a different dimension.
How to reach: Tierney, (215) 790-4100 or www.hellotierney.com
