Frantic

When the stakes get really high, we have to know how to be…

…urgent

…focused

…super-diligent

…fast

…top priority

…and now!

All of those are fine. Sometimes we need to sprint. The unexpected can and does come up, and we have to be calm under that pressure while hitting our top gear. There are few greater differentiators than the ability to deliver our best work quickly and under pressure.

But frantic is something else entirely.

Frantic communicates anxiety and fear.

Frantic puts everyone on their back foot.

Frantic says “we’re in big trouble” and activates the amygdala.

In that reactive place, we cannot produce our best work, and our bonds to one another weaken. It’s a terrible place to be.

Think about it: at the end of a sprint, we might feel exhausted, but we’re also proud.

And at the end of a sprint that we did together, we feel closer to one another.

Whereas at the end of frantic, we just feel relief that it’s over, and we hope that it will never happen again.

If you’re in a position of authority, no matter what the context, you can never be frantic, and you can never communicate frantic to your team.

Period.