episode 58 - the word is fever
In this week’s episode of The Word is Leadership, we explore the word “Fever” and its implications in leadership and organisational health. Just as a fever is both a warning that something is wrong and a reassurance that our body is fighting it, the same can be said for our organisations - knowing when things are heating up can be both a red flag as well as a sign that the system is working hard to resolve underlying issues.
So key questions are:
How do you know when your organisation is running a fever?
Do you know when to call for help versus when to let the system heal itself?
Answering the first question requires a number - a measure of what’s normal and what’s not. Just as a thermometer helps us gauge our body temperature, leaders need to identify key metrics to determine when things are running smoothly and when they’re not.
But numbers alone aren’t enough; you also need a range (a scale) to define what constitutes a normal fluctuation versus a real problem.
Yet, leaders who constantly scan for problems and catastrophise small deviations can cause more harm than good, acting as if every minor issue is a crisis. Focusing solely on problems can blind us to what’s working well.
This episode encourages leaders to reframe their approach. The question is : ‘Do you know the symptoms of your organization at its best, or are you just focused on the signs of failure?’
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