Gary Covert - 17 Dec

• Anatomy of untenable situations
• Stuffed in the closet and swept under the rug
• Only for underperformers not
• Getting realthe issue behind the issue

Untenable situations are those negative, unstainable conditions that continue to plague despite all logic. Untenable situations: what they are, why they hang around, examples in life and work and the surprising truth about who has them.

Anatomy of Untenable Situations

We all have big issues that could be handled better. Many big issues are untenable. Untenable situations are those situations that are negative or undesirable. They can show up in both life and work and frequently occur in the areas of health, finances, relationships, careers, leadership effectiveness, and organizational effectiveness. These situations are a blind spot to us or to which we have turned a blind eye.

They come in all shapes and sizes. They are hard to defend logically. They often have some element of unsustainability. They dont make sense and they are often getting worse. They are important, but for some reason, they have not been dealt with effectively to date. We often incur a lot of pain and wasted energy because of them.

Some examples:

• A business owner might be putting off a decision about quitting a business that hasnt performed in years
• An executive runs around like 13 priorities is normal, can be handled, and that things will be different from the results from last year
• A leader knowing that a high-level person is not working out (even the janitors know it is not working out), but no action is being taken
• A person feeling frustrated and anxious trying to perform well in a job they fundamentally do not enjoy
• A person experiencing health issues like extreme obesity or a two packs a day smoking habit
• The government reports that funds set aside for social benefits are soon to be depleted, but no politician is forthcoming with a rational plan to address
• Lack of a safety culture taken seriously by senior leaders
• Organizations that cannot deliver on promises after a big acquisition
• Organizations facing new competition with old thinking and hubris
• Organizations that cannot attract, develop, or retain exceptional talent
• An organization led by leaders with weak ethics.

A persons behavior can also be untenable. Behaviors like the ones below can lead to negative and unsustainable situations.

• Acting in a disrespectful way
• Vacillating on important decisions
• Trying to please everyone
• Impulsive decision-making
• Isolating oneself from new information or key trends
• Chronic overeating and no exercise when on the road
• Not stretching after exercise
• Looking for blame and not cause

It is important to look at untenable situations and behaviors because they represent an unsustainable condition. Just staying put or doing more of the same wont cut it. The cost of staying in the current situation has exceeded or soon will exceed the cost to address. Something needs to change and the sooner the change is made the better.

The topic of identifying and resolving negative, unsustainable issues is particularly important in the context of leadership. The demands on individuals are high and the consequences of not taking effective action in a timely manner, before opportunities are lost, are significant. This book is designed to help leaders highlight these issues clearly and smooth out any behaviors or mind-sets that are negatively impacting performance. While developed with the leader in mind, these concepts can also be used to address issues in other parts of a persons life.

So how do you know if you have an untenable situation? Basically, there are three conditions: (1) the costs of the status quo are already high or soon they will be, (2) ignoring the situation or further adaptation will not work, and (3) you care about it.

Lets take the example of a person with an unhealthy weight problem. They would likely meet all three of the criteria.

Costs of the status quo : The costs of maintaining the current weight are high and might include heart disease, diabetes, or decreased mobility.

Ignoring and adaptation will not work : Keeping the current weight or just getting bigger clothes wont help the situation.

They care about it : They personally (hopefully) care about their own quality of life and would not like to live with the consequences.