Dentists Don’t Complain About Cavities
A Daoist lesson in how to approach issues as a manager of people.
If you aren’t careful as a manager, it is easy to slip into a mindset of self-pity.
As managers and team leaders, we are tasked with addressing issues, putting out fires, and solving complex problems every day. With the wrong mindset, it is tempting to see these issues as a frustrating burden. It is easy to become exasperated and plead to the sky why are people not working the “right” way? Why must I solve everything? Why can’t everything just work?
Even worse, it is easy (especially early in a management career) to internalize every issue as evidence of our own ineptitude. If allowed, every issue can erode our confidence in our management ability, each problem a little more evidence of our own incompetence.
I fell into this mindset when I started in my first (and current) management position. But then I heard a lecture by pop-philosopher Alan Watts. Famous for making Eastern thought and spirituality accessible to the West, Watt’s lecture flipped my perspective towards the issues I faced everyday on their head.
When discussing a Daoist perspective to life’s challenges and the necessary role issues play in our lives, Watts evokes the analogy that “…the dentist doesn’t complain about his patients’ cavities. A dentist’s entire purpose is to fix cavities.”
Of course! Dentists don’t curse the world every time they come across a cavity. A mechanic does not get pissed about a car needing oil. A tailor is not frustrated by having to shorten a pair of slacks. These issues are central to their job. Instead of complain, they all objectively face the problem head-on, assess the situation, and get to work finding and executing a solution.
As a manager, I realized I needed to adopt the perspective of the dentist and mechanic and tailor. The purpose of my job is to identify issues as soon as possible, find the best possible solutions for fixing them, and facilitate the growth of my team.
Over the last few months, I have tried to focus on addressing issues more objectively. I now understand that working through the issues that come with challenging work is integral to my own success and the success of my team.
And, most importantly, I now understand that rather than being a burden, solving these problems can be the most engaging and creative part of my job.
The best managers are those that have the ability to detach from their immediate work and analyze themselves and their team through an objective, third-person perspective. By doing so, they are able to quickly identify issues without the noise of their ego and petty emotions distorting the job at hand.
And as managers, achieving that perspective seems well-worth striving for.
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