In “Don’t Bring It to Work” there are lots of examples of how a system works. One of the most interesting comes from nature. It is called “The Butterfly Effect.”

Physics has shown us that small variations in the initial conditions of a system, like a butterfly flapping its wings can lead to tremendous long term changes in a system, such as a tornado in a far away place.

Sadly, we are now seeing the impact an oil spill can have on beaches far from the source of the disturbance. Therefore, we all need to learn how to think about whole systems and how someone who sneezes in Indiana may cause an unknown person in India to catch a cold.

We are all part of an incredible complex web of little things that link together to cause actions and reactions.

At work each of us is part of that incredible web of “little things” that can help, hinder, or hurt. It takes an ability to observe your own personal behavior patterns and how they interface and impact others.

Most business leaders aren’t trained to think systemically, but rather in dichotomies or dualities. When problems occur we sort and judge, sort and judge; we put the spotlight on the situation or the task in question, or on the specific “problem” person rather than on interactions or the larger system.

Analytic thinking seems to be a natural way of understanding reality, but if you look at world civilizations, you encounter quite another orientation. There was a connection with inner intuition and outer responses that is just coming back to popularity, although it was the way of relating for thousands of years.

I just had a jolt to my own behavior reactions when I had to “unhire” an employee who I had trusted with important financial knowledge, only to find she had a very loose mouth with other employees.

It took me longer than I like to admit to tell myself the truth. I stopped listening to my gut. I stopped paying attention to what I teach. It finally hit me, and hit me hard, when I was lecturing in our Total Leadership Connections program and one of the participants asked a question that kept me up that night.

He wanted to know how much factual information we need when our inner “BS Detector” is clanging loudly.

The next day I knew I had to pay attention to my own “BS Detector” that I had put on vibrate so it would not distract me. Although, like the butterfly effect, I knew that seemingly discreet incidents were really all connected and I would have to take action.

So, my gut talking, the innocent question of a hi-potential young leader, the curious remarks from several on my staff, a sleepless in Pennsylvania night, all came together the day after the leadership program ended.

I had to face an old, annoying pattern of being the pleaser, the Pollyanna personality that wanted to always believe in the goodness of others even though that may not always be the case.

I did dig for the facts I had wanted to ignore. I found them. And the beating of the internal butterfly’s wings inside me along with the evidence that my employee was up to no good, averted a major financial melt down, just in time.

Here is where systems thinking is more valuable than only addressing the symptom. While the “symptom” employee was up to no good, she was only a part of the equation. It would have been so much easier to point the finger and blame her, case closed.

Yet, if I had not looked away, had not been overly trusting, had not shoved my intuition way deep down because I wanted to see the best rather than what was real, the situation would not have happened in the first place.

I have been pretty lucky. Most of the employees in my company are the kind of people I want to work with, be connected with. Every so often someone will show up to force me to shake loose from the blind spots of deep ingrained patterns that cause lack of clarity.

In this case the woman I had to release was a “splitter” who had learned early in life how to play people off against each other, to be the favorite of the one in charge and then stab them in the back when they are not looking.

The weakness of a pleaser is they (I should say I) want to believe everything is fine and dandy and sometimes ignore the ugly mess right in front of them.

So, I deeply suggest that rather than resort merely to predictable, patterned responses you learn to think about how a system works together and find an outside source, a person not so close to the situation who will help you see the connections and what to do about it.

This was one of those wake-up calls that will keep me vigilant to make sure my old pleaser pattern stays in the transformed place of the truth teller. Morale: If the butterfly’s wings are beating loudly take action before you have a hurricane or tornado on your hands.

Author Bio: Dr. Sylvia Lafair, Author, Leadership Educator, Executive Coach for over 30 years is an authority on leadership and workplace relationships. She is President of Creative Energy Options, Inc. Visit www.ceoptions.com and www.sylvialafair.com.

Category: Leadership
Keywords: Patterns, Workplace Relationships, Splitter, leadership, Leadership Programs, TLC