Drama often shows up as a situation. Situations come in many forms, from a speeding ticket, to an unexpected delay at the airport, to the announcement that your department is downsizing.
When a wanted situation changes to an unwanted situation there will be drama. When an unwanted situation stays the same, there will be drama. Last week I talked about how drama manifests as an emotion. The emotion may be resentment, anger, anxiety or sadness.
This week’s lesson is about how drama manifests as a situation and how to turn drama situations into gifts of leadership growth.
Even though the situations change, the drama is pretty much the same. The situation comes in many forms: It’s the economy. It’s the job. It’s the money. It’s having enough time. The drama is all about what shouldn’t change that did, and about what should change that didn’t.
From an enlightened perspective the situation is a gift in disguise; a chance to see yourself as a creator; one who can facilitate change; one who can see things differently; one who can use the power of observation and focused attention to shift the circumstances to one’s benefit. The situation may even offer the opportunity to release resistance, to acknowledge and accept the current reality so that more time can be allotted to making the best choices available. The situation becomes a chance to break a pattern and take a road less traveled—one that becomes a stepping stone to higher effectiveness for dealing with the next unwanted situation or coaching someone else out of time-wasting drama.
Something to notice: No matter what the situation, in all drama there is emotion. Without emotion there would be no drama, regardless of what is happening, what didn’t happen or what should happen.
What situation is showing up in your life that is unwanted or contributing to a sense of uncertainty? What is the emotion entangled with the situation? How could you see it differently? What reality needs to be accepted versus resisted? What choices are available?
What if this situation was exactly the formula to take you to the next and highest level in your leadership capacity?
Marlene Chism is a consultant, national speaker and author of Stop Workplace Drama (Wiley 2011). Marlene’s passion is developing wise leaders and helping people to discover, develop and deliver their gifts to the world.
Marlene’s message is spreading across the country at association meetings, corporate retreats, universities and other venues. If interested in exploring speaking or training opportunities please call 1.888.434.9085