The New Crop: Issue #60
"drama tax" + "why is simplicity one of the best problem-solving tools?"
What’s in this issue:
💭 Thought: “Drama tax”
📚 Read: Why is simplicity one of the best problem-solving tools?
😆 Today’s Laugh
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💭 Today’s Thought
How much of your work day is spent engaging in “drama”?
Drama, as defined by Jim Dethmer of the Conscious Leadership Group (CLG), is “trapped energy that is recycling through triggered activity and keeps us stuck in repetitive patterns”.
According to CLG, here are some common ways you might experience drama around work:
Gossiping
Complaining about people or systems at work (or at home, about work)
Attending meetings that aren’t a good use of your time
Taking on too much work, or work that doesn’t fall in your zone of genius or excellence
In all of these situations, your energy gets recycled again and again. But your outcomes/results don’t change.
Drama happens when our identities are threatened. Deep down, we might really be scared… and the fear manifests in actions that are directed towards self-protection. It makes sense that we would do this — that we would want to protect ourselves.
And, engaging in drama doesn’t return fulfilling energy to us. It’s not a great place to hang out. I want to point you towards a 1-minute quiz from CLG, designed to increase your awareness of how drama shows up for you around work. Bonus: at the end of the quiz, you’ll get some resources and tools to help you reduce drama in the areas you experience it the most.
🌟 Click here to take the quiz. 🌟
🖊️ Today’s Reflection
If you’re new to journaling, I highly encourage you to read Nancy Adler’s article: Want to be an outstanding leader? Keep a journal.
This week, find a quiet place and gift yourself 10 minutes to reflect on any of these prompts (or invent your own!):
What stands out to you after taking the “drama tax” quiz?
Where / in what situations do you experience the most drama around work? Go deeper: what is the threat you’re experiencing in those situations?
What do you get out of engaging in drama? (We all get something out of it, or else we wouldn’t do it.)
Where does your team experience drama, and how does it manifest? What’s the impact on the group and on your outcomes?
📚 Today’s Read
Why is simplicity one of the best problem-solving tools?
Complexity bias is our tendency to believe that complicated solutions are better than simple ones. We assume a big problem must require a certain level of knowledge and effort to solve. In other words, a simple solution seems too good to be true.
Check out this article from Amanda Swim to dig into the allure of complex solutions and the advantages of more straightforward ones.
See you next week!
xo,
Anne