The past few weeks I’ve noticed a large, furry, not-so-attractive creature in my backyard eating everything in site. At first I thought it was just a squirrel that had eaten too many acorns but I finally got a closer look yesterday. As the odd shaped animal meandered nearer to my window, I finally was able to make a positive identification. It was a groundhog! And this wobbly rodent-like pest was also digging holes in my lawn and was busy fattening up for a long winter’s nap. Groundhogs are one of the few species that go into hibernation for the winter and to do that that must store up a tremendous amount of food to get them through a whole lot of months.

Now you might be wondering what groundhogs have to do with leadership. But the truth is a lot. When leaders face challenges they sometimes want to run and hibernate for a while. Instead of facing the roadblock straight on, we may want to avoid the situation or person entirely. I recently worked with a manager who felt overwhelmed with the amount of change taking place in his organization. He was feeling that one more change might just put him over the edge. It wasn’t that he was risk-adverse; he just was having a difficult time merging his department with other departments.

Hibernation may be an option for groundhogs, but when leaders make that choice, they are setting themselves up for a major derailment.

Here are some ways that leaders can overcome their desire to hibernate:

Recognize and Name The Challenge

Although it may seem impossible to resolve, every roadblock has many different ways to pass through it. The difficult part at first is to identify the problem clearly.

• What is actually happening?
• Why is it causing a challenge for me?
• Who are the stakeholders?
• How can I best describe the situation?

Check Out Your Leadership Toolbox

We all have an array of leadership experiences and strengths that we can draw on to solve a challenge. Think about which expertise would be most beneficial. Maybe we need to pull out our negotiation skills and set up a meeting to share the different perspectives. Maybe our technology talents can create a new type of process to deal with the problem more successfully. Open up that box of wisdom and knowledge.

Reach Out For Help or Guidance

If we find we can’t meet the challenge by ourselves, turn to other leaders that may be helpful. Would a co-worker, collaborator or boss offer a different set of required skills? The worst thing is to just sit and be paralyzed with fear.

[Tweet “Leaders enjoy working with people with different skill sets.”]

Resist Digging A Hole

We may want to run and avoid a situation or person, but that will only add more stress and may make the issue worse. We can’t hibernate because when we wake up our situation will still be with us. We must propel ourselves into action.

Keep Agile

The more flexible we are and willing to keep an open mind, the more successful we will be in facing our dilemma.

• There is more than one way to look at any issue
• Keep up with new trends
• Grow your people network by engaging others
• Continually learn new skills

Stick With A Plan

Hold out from digging a giant hole like the groundhog. Instead decide on how to handle the challenge and stay focused.

How do you resist hibernation in your leadership?