My son is in emergency medicine. He’s been a paramedic on ambulances and in emergency rooms. Shootings, car wrecks, fires, drug abuse, emergency births, stabbings, broken bones, heart attacks, and more. There are very tense situations, highly charged with pain, fear, and emotion. He might help 15-20 people in a shift, and it’s the worst day of the month or year for most of them. Very often the necessary steps to future healing requiring inflicting pain. You simply cannot fully emotionally identify with every patient. He’s had to learn emotional detachment in order to simultaneously be sensitive to the needs and give them the help they need.
Military officers are trained in detachment to assess combat situations, decide on next actions, and communicate clearly. It requires training because it’s not natural. Detachment skill is built with practice. It’s not enough to “know,” because when the bullets are zinging you will revert to the level of your training, not the level of your knowledge.
Commercial and non-profit organizational leaders need to learn detachment as well.
It is learnable. Step up and out of your immediately emotional responses and selfish interests. Use the opportunities you have:
- Reconciling financial drivers and individual performance
- Choosing which activities to expand, maintain, and drop
- Making the hard right decision yourself rather than pass to others
- Score yourself accurately and hold yourself accountable
- Hold others accountable for results in the midst of their challenges
- Treat ‘enemies’ professionally
- Practice “thought experiments” about what you would do were you the senior leader
Practice in small opportunities prepares you for the coming crisis test.
