Dilemma-Busting

The definition of dilemma is: “a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, especially ones that are equally undesirable”.

What dilemmas are you facing today?

Before I became a life coach, I was the CEO for a homeless charity. Without doubt, handling daily dilemmas came with the territory of running the charity. Dealing effectively with dilemmas requires building a great team and I have been fortunate enough to work with some amazing people who gelled, bonded and supported one another.

A great team best deals with dilemmas in a systematic way. We problem solved and dealt with any resulting dilemmas that bubbled to the surface through prompt discussion and exploring all the options. This helped us to both reach then take decisive action. If we failed to follow this process, dilemmas lingered. Consequences followed. Dilemmas rarely go away by themselves although it is great when they do!

When a dilemma emerges as part of problem solving, it is essential to bring the key players together - as a unit, they need to work through the issue. In the conversations of "what to do next", asking the right questions, ensuring all avenues are considered and suitably challenged is crucial. This helps to make timely choices and steps can start to be taken to deal with the situation at hand.

It is also important that the ‘step-takers’ all know their individual roles and that they are clear on how to implement the actions delegated to them. I worked with some amazing people whose knowledge and expertise I respected and they were often better placed than me to find the way forward. Even when I was not wholly convinced myself of the proposed actions, I was still “fully in”. How come? For as long as regular reviews took place, problems (and dilemmas as a bi-product) stay at bay. Reviews are important to stay on track, making adjustments if needed or take a different tact.

This way of working was so important to the success of our award-winning winter night shelter where the safety of the guests, volunteers, staff and people from outside agencies was paramount. The team further surpassed itself during the pandemic. Especially in implementing the ‘Everybody In’ strategy spearheaded by the government’s short-lived homelessness tsar, Baroness Louise Casey. It raised dilemmas galore but we got the job done.

‘Dilemma-busting’ does not always work seamlessly! Yet, when a team is in ‘flow’, the results can be incredibly rewarding. In flow, dilemmas come, dilemmas go.

To meet all the challenges that comes with running an organisation, I also made sure I had the right people around me. It really helps to spread the weight-bearing of responsibility. I had trusted board trustees that I could turn to, bounced ideas off several mentors along the way, I had fellow CEOs that I could confide in and I had an accomplished and inspirational Operational Director who has gone on to become the CEO of the charity herself.

I also used a Life Coach!

What tactics are you using to bust dilemmas that crop up in your life?

PS Three books I recommend to help with ‘dilemma-busting’ in an organisational context:

Time to Think by Nancy Kline

Radical Candor by Kim Scott

Get Things Done by David Allen

Want help with dilemma-busting, however it is turning up in your life? Have a coaching conversation with me by visiting: https://www.matthattoncoaching.com