Episode 68: Dumpster Fire

In recent years, a dumpster fire has been a symbol of something in life that is fueled by many things and even more so of chaos. This depicted image has even been made into Christmas ornaments. In this episode, you'll get to listen to Dr. Celina's observation of a real dumpster fire and how it might have other lessons for us to learn during times of change.

Transcript

 Welcome to the Workplace Chameleon. This is Dr. Celina. How about we talk about dumpster fires today?   In recent years, dumpster fire seems to become, or have become, excuse me, a symbol of something in life that is fire fueled by lots of chaos or feels out of control or not manageable.   You know, when something becomes so consistently noted in social cultural means, right?   Social media. Here's the sign. When it makes Christmas tree ornaments, you know it has hit some popularity.   And I did. I saw some Christmas tree ornaments in the last couple of years that had a dumpster on fire with the year on it.   And that may have started in 2020. However, I still find it to be true.   What can we learn about what does dumpster fire mean and what are some of the lessons it might have for us during times of change?   So dumpster fire has been used to describe a situation, event, or some sort of circumstance that is chaotic, disastrous, potentially out of control, or, you know, I like to think about it as just generally a complete mess.   So when somebody on our team refers to something as a dumpster fire, often they are conveying that it's just a situation that is so marked by dysfunction, confusion, and maybe even just a lack of clear solution and potentially no hope for some improvement.   Now, the origin of the phrase likely comes from a vivid image of a literal dumpster, that large waste container on fire, which could be a chaotic and problematic situation.   However, over time, it has really been adopted as this metaphor to describe a wide range of unfortunate or chaotic events, from what I hear about in workplaces, a disorganized project, to even a turbulent, maybe damaging situation.   Here are some phrases where it could be used.   Here, dumpster fire is used again metaphorically to highlight some sort of disastrous and chaotic situation.   It's really a colorful way of expressing frustration.   Just about how bad things have gotten.   So what can a leader do? What can a senior leadership team do to recover from a situation, event, or circumstance   that feels chaotic, disastrous, out of control, or, you know, again, just generally a complete mess?   Now, I am not saying that there aren't some really serious situations that leaders have hard decisions to make   and need to be able to manage through it.   And so I am not minimizing those really hard things, and I am not minimizing the fact that a dumpster fire still is pretty serious.   I just want us to note the difference between complex and chaotic.   And I might mention this like almost every episode during this entire 10-series podcast blitz.   Because one of the most common phrases I'm hearing right now from leaders is, it's just complex.   Yep, it is. Our organizations, our teams, our markets, our industries, our world is complex.   What I want us to be able to do is put good fundamentals in place. Know our purpose. Design clear strategies.   Make sure we have effective leadership. Have a communication deployment plan. Engage and support employees.   Without fundamentals, this is hurtful, harmful, and purely damaging.   Now, of course, there's all sorts of degrees of that. So maybe we're just missing some fundamentals.   We just need to shore them up and look forward and handle the complexity better.   Maybe for others, we need a restart. We need something to draw the line in the sand and say,   OK, we really need to develop some new steps going forward.   Most of us can't just start from scratch. When you have an existing organization, little or big,   although little or could be easier to do this with, you can't just start over.   And so there is something to being able to draw a line in the sand and say, folks, this has been hard.   We've had some challenges. I'm glad we've been able to have them and learn from them.   Now, what's our next step? And then we need to put processes in place, run those fundamentals.   And right now, I'm being really realistic about it. Like, what are the two most important things you can do for the rest of the year?   I recently saw a team that was doing pretty darn good. I'd seen them for a series of months last year.   We took what often I call a Selena break. That's okay. They needed some time to put some things into practice   and work on some of the things that we had been working on in their leadership team.   So I didn't see them for the last six months. And then they canceled it once on me.   And I went back and they were not in great shape. Some things had fallen apart.   And literally I had to say, okay, going into the rest of this year,   within the next quarter, what are the two or three fundamental things you need to do to land this,   to get this back on track? If we come up with 14 things, you are already overwhelmed.   Your customers are not happy. You've got major things happening internally that you need to fix.   How will this leadership team be aligned to do that?   Fundamentals, those next clear steps help us do this.   So what are some steps we can take to recover from such a situation?   Let's break these out. Number one, always assess the situation.   We start any process of solving something by assessment.   Begin by conducting a thorough assessment of the situation.   When you've said, this is a dumpster fire, understand those root causes,   the extent of the damage, and the impact on your stakeholders,   including employees, customers, and others.   And own it, like take responsibility for this.   Acknowledge any mistakes or shortcomings that have contributed to the situation.   When we demonstrate responsibility, it shows accountability and transparency.   And those are some of the biggest trust rebuilders.   Communicating effectively.   I want more and more internal communication plans.   When we have a dumpster fire and we need to move from chaos to complex,   we need a communication plan.   How will we keep stakeholders informed about the situation,   the recovery efforts, and what will be taken to prevent a reoccurrence?   Be honest and empathetic in your communication,   addressing those concerns and anticipating what question your audiences   are going to have and be open about that.   The bigger the issue, the bigger that dumpster fire,   I want you to have a crisis management team.   Who are the go-to people that can lead across the situation   and across the organization?   So they're responsible for orchestrating the recovery efforts   and ensuring coordination.   We do, especially when a crisis hits or that dumpster fire feels like   it just went up another 50 degrees and blazing flames,   we need to prioritize immediate action.   What are the critical issues that need attention and address them promptly?   This might be resolving safety concerns, stabilizing financials,   restoring essential services.   What is that for you?   And then develop a recovery plan.   What are the next step of actions?   Think phase one, immediate phase one, phase two, phase three,   timelines, responsibilities, short-term and long-term goals   to get back on track.   Every plan, though, needs some steps to prevent similar situations in the future.   So what resources will we need to execute that plan effectively?   Financial, human, physical, time.   Teams need support to carry out their recovery tasks.   We do need to make sure that during this time we are taking care of employees and their well-being.   So pay close attention to employees who have been affected by the situation.   Provide support, counseling, and resources to help them cope with whatever the stressors have been.   And use this opportunity to genuinely rebuild trust.   Consistently demonstrating integrity, competence, and commitment to what comes next to this positive change will go a long way.   Because we need to learn from this experience.   Can we, when we get to a safe spot after the immediate recovery actions, conduct some type of post-mortem analysis?   So that we can identify those lessons learned and use these insights to improve processes, decision making, and risk management.   That's fundamentals in this case.   That a deal with the fact that complexity is still going to exist.   We just don't want more dumpster fires, right?   And when we support a culture of continuous improvement and resilience within the organization.   When we implement preventative measures, when we monitor progress.   Sometimes we need to also tap into external expertise.   We make progress.   We can communicate those successes better.   And when we recover from a chaotic or disaster situation.   We build resilience.   We strengthen commitment.   And we lead by learning and improving.   So by taking swift and strategic action.   We can lead our teams out of difficult circumstances.   Repair and rebuild trust and look forward.   You don't have to be a senior leader to do that.   I want you considering it in the area you influence.   I do want to take this one more step.   While a lot of my time is focused on how we support leaders to do a better job.   So that our team members can be more successful.   Let's think for a moment when a team member feels like their workplace is chaotic.   And disorganized. How many of you?   Raise your hand. Nobody is looking at you.   Drop me a note.   When employees refer to this place as a dumpster fire.   It can be challenging to maintain professionalism and productivity.   However, when we feel this. I don't care what your position is.   When you are feeling this, it's really important that we respond professionally.   To navigate the situation effectively.   To stay calm. Keep your emotions.   I'm going to say in check. And I often don't like that phrase.   Because you're feeling it. The question is what do you do with it?   People say to me all the time, Selina, it ticked me off.   Made me frustrated. I'm like, own it. Made you frustrated. Ticked you off.   What is that?   It's natural to feel frustrated and overwhelmed.   And yet, understanding how to calm yourself in that emotional regulation is crucial.   For our own well-being and for addressing the situation constructively.   Focus on what you can do.   What is the work you need to be able to get done?   Prioritize that.   And do what you need to do to the best of your ability, even in a chaotic environment.   Communicate constructively.   If you have concerns about the situation, then communicate them professionally and constructively.   This is a great time to practice your I statements.   I'm concerned with.   I'm not sure about.   I've noticed that without blaming others.   We can seek out channels for providing feedback and offer solutions.   We can extend support to our colleagues by being empathetic and supportive.   Who also might be struggling in the same environment.   When you help, relationships are strengthened.   And by the way, we feel better.   It is important for us to understand what our own personal and professional boundaries are to protect our well-being.   And know when it's necessary to take short breaks or step away from chaos to recharge.   You might seek guidance from somebody who can give you some perspective or advice.   It may be good to document issues so that you can keep a record of incidents related to whatever the chaotic situation is.   This documentation, when done with good intention, can be valuable if you need to escalate concerns or you're asked to provide feedback later.   One of the things that I see is in chaotic times when those emotions run high, we don't remember the details as well later on to do that postmortem or a debrief later to learn from the situation.   So you may find actually not only some relief in documenting it and just getting it out and noted, written, typed, and yet it can also be very helpful down the road.   We know that self-care to manage your own physical and emotional well-being, external support, and even during times of chaos, evaluating your options.   Is this current work environment aligning with your goals and is this a stage and phase? Is this like them? Or has your resilience and tolerance shifted?   Often I think sometimes our work life takes more of us, more out of us. Sometimes our personal lives take more out of us.   So in whatever is chaotic for you right now, examining what's going on to navigate it more successfully may include,   do I expect this to last and can I endure that? I need us to persist.   Like I need you to stick to it to a point that does not compromise your own well-being and ethics and see what comes next.   On behalf of the Workplace Chameleon, I know complexity is going to stay. We just could use a few less dumpster fires. Are you with me?   So let's build some fundamentals. Let's stretch our fundamentals to the next level.   Clear purpose, aligned strategy, effective leadership, communication planning, so that we can do the work in front of us. I know it is heavy lifting.   I also know if we believe we can navigate this, if we believe we've got good things ahead of us, indeed, we will be right.   Learn something new today. Smash a few more mental health stigmas for me this week and make good choices.   Until next time, this is Dr. Celina. Take care.