Wear The Hat
A Situational Pattern.
Situation
You feel somewhat anxious. In fact you wonder how you might get through what stands before you. And then you think of that someone from your past that would just breeze through the challenge. You wish they were there. And you know, they are. They are with you. Simply imagine putting on their hat and taking on the situation as they would take it on.
Pattern
1. Understand the situation.
Ok so really breakdown the situation before you. What are the mechanics at play? Is it something slightly complex or totally complex? Make sure you understand the situation and its complexities so that you can diagnose the situation accurately.
2. Identify that someone.
When thinking about the situation and who would be best to solve it… who comes to mind? Is it someone in your immediate circle? Someone you’ve worked with in the past? Leadership you’ve seen on TV (ahem… Star Trek)?
3. Think how they’d handle it.
Once you’ve identified that someone, think through how they might go about approaching the situation. Think about how you’ve witnessed them work through something and handle it. How might they initially respond. What kind of tone would they adopt? How might they speak to those involved?
4. Put on their hat.
Now put on their hat and take on the situation. Imagine you are them facing the exact situation you face but wearing the hat of the someone you identified earlier. If the situation is something to be worked out live in a group, embody that someone and work through it. You can even do this with email… although I tend to look back at email that I sent previously when doing this and think about how my identified someone would have done it differently. Still ok. Just take the lesson and move forward.
5. Reflect and adapt.
So how did you do? Think about how it went. What actions went as expected and what surprised you? The more you practice this, the easier it will become and the better at handling situations like his will you be.
Why
How amazing that you’ve had the opportunity to be around others that have handled situations gracefully. Learn from them. Embody them by putting on their hat and facing the situation before you as they would face it. The more you do, the better you’ll become at handling these types of situations.
Curious about Situational Patterns? Learn more about Situational.ly.
