Team Tuesdays: Mark Murphy — No More Drama

Drama is a fire, and coaches and leaders add oxygen to the fire every time they react to it emotionally. Business leader and consultant Mark Murphy says these four words can put out the fire and put you in problem-solving mode: Just the facts, please.

These four words — or your own variation of them — can help you bring everything back to what you directly see, hear, or receive instead of the stories that we make up about it.

Drama needs an audience — it isn’t a solo act. It’s a performance. If you take away the reaction, the fire has nothing to burn with or on. 

Instead of fueling the fire by reacting, learn to respond strategically and intentionally. Start with yourself. Ask yourself, “What are the facts? What’s real, and what is not?”

Then, find a way to say it to the room.

We are wired to react emotionally, and the drama counts on this to live, breathe, and grow. Don’t. Here is the 4-step protocol I use to slow myself down:

1 - What happened — facts only? I start by asking myself and the room this question.
2 - Why? This helps me dive deeper and get more context.
3 - Who does it affect, how, and why? Again, a deeper dive into the facts and the impact of them.
4 - How do we fix this moving forward? This helps us rationally and collectively determine next steps.

Calm, focused leaders train and lead calm, focused teams. If you can influence the tone, you can influence the conversation. If you can influence the conversation, you can influence the culture.

Something to Think About

When drama comes, how are you going to respond, and what is the language you will use?