Turning Overwhelm into Action: A Leader's Journey to Clarity and Focus

I was coaching a leader the other day.  She mentioned that she was aware of her improvement areas.  However, she was not acting on any of the items.  I asked her what does this inaction tell her?  She said that she was feeling overwhelmed.  When overwhelm started within her, it caused her to freeze and then shut down.  This overwhelm spiral will cause inaction.  I mentioned that the feeling of overwhelm is trying to tell you that you need clarity and focus.  I asked, “What do you need clarity and focus on?”  Her response, “I need clarity on my areas of improvement”.  I then asked, “How do we do that?”  She said, “I need to prioritize the areas of improvement”.  We proceeded to do that.

Once we prioritized her list, we created an action plan on the first area of improvement.  It created a new pep in her step.

The gift that the feeling of overwhelm provides is to tell you that you need clarity/focus.  So, the next time someone is feeling overwhelmed, help them gain focus and clarity.  It will make a HUGE positive impact to their mindset and productivity.