Healthy Predictability is Good for Culture

​Several years ago I consulted with an organization whose leader’s attitude and behavior was unpredictable. This person's unpredictability was so consistent, that staff created a brilliant work-around in order to protect themselves. 

They talked in a code masquerading as weather reports. “What’s the weather for this afternoon”, a staff person would ask before meeting with the leader. 

Someone who’d met with the leader earlier would chime in, “I heard a storm is forecasted. Batten down the hatches.”

This made me so sad because I could see all the apprehension, tension, and stress this inauthentic relationship caused for employees. Helping the leader cultivate healthy predictability became the focus of my engagement.

Healthy Predictability is Good for Culture

Being predictable means that people know what attitude and energy to anticipate from you when they engage with you. This applies to families, social groups, and the workplace. It does not mean there is no spontaneity or agility. 

As a leader, having healthy predictability can mean that people can count on you to be steady, honest, fair, curious, and empathetic. When you are predictable, in a healthy way, people can count on you to set and hold clear boundaries and hold yourself and others accountable. 

But most importantly, people know that you are capable of feeling and managing your own emotions. You will not be dumping all your emotional reactions onto them in hopes of giving yourself some relief. 

When you are intentional about learning tools and strategies to become predictable, it’s a gift to those around you and yourself.  There’s no more drama and chaos, and less shame and guilt. And you are showing those around you another pathway to deal with life and work pressures.

So how to do we get there?

The Navigating Challenging Dialogue® mantras serve you well in creating reminders to help you:

  • Be Aware of the Energy You Bring to the Room

  • The Only Person I Can Manage is Myself

  • Grace is in the Space

  • That’s Fascinating

  • Curiosity is the Pathway to Empathy

  • You Can Only See the World Through Your Own Lens

  • Trust Is Built One Conversation at a Time and One Experience at a Time

  • At the End of the Day, Everyone Just Wants to Be Seen and Heard

Building Healthy Predictability

A big part of healthy predictability is self-awareness. I have a worksheet to help understand how to increase your healthy predictability:

COMPLETE THE WORKSHEET

Heading into 2023 

I encourage you to consider where you fall between unhealthy predictability and healthy predictability. Consciously and intentionally seek ways to move toward the later. 

Beth Wonson