Leading Through Frustration: Recognise When Frustration Can Lead to Positive Change
Frustration can lead to positive impacts. It is how we respond to frustration that matters.
William Wilberforce was frustrated by the attitude of business, church and political leaders to the slave trade. He turned that frustration into action. Wilberforce described himself as being ‘diligent in the business of life’. The combination of his faith perspective, his humanitarian values and single-minded determination led to an unwavering campaign which resulted in the abolition of the slave trade after years of determined endeavour. When he was frustrated by indifference and indecision his resolve became stronger. He was determined to reach the end point that he had set himself.
There are many examples of social reformers in the eighteenth and nineteenth century who became very frustrated with the way those in power and authority treated humanity. Their frustration led to radical change in health and education.
When you are involved in a project or program the sources of frustration become a key focus of energy. When they are sorted the project or program can move forward. Often the most creative periods are when key frustrations are being addressed and ways forward identified. Innovation often results from causes of frustration being addressed by bringing insights from other spheres and trying out different approaches.
When frustration surfaces it can be useful to view frustration as a positive stimulus for innovative ideas. These are the moments when new thinking can break out and a markedly different new approach developed. In my first career as a senior official in the UK Government the most creative ways forward emerged from dealing with the most frustrating of situations because we were forced to come up with new and radically different ways of tackling ‘wicked issues’.
Hazel was a recently appointed chief executive of a charity. She had done her due diligence and was concerned that the funding base was not as robust as the trustees had led her to believe. Soon after she started in post the income line began to dip with the reserves being eaten away. When she presented the latest income figures to the trustees she made sure that they saw these figures as a wake-up call. On the one hand she was frustrated that she had accepted this post when its financial base was not as strong as the trustees had assured her it was. On the other hand her frustration with the drop in income and the trustees’ frustration that they had not seen the problem coming led to radical rethinking by both the CEO and the trustees about the priorities of the Charity and the need for further fundraising endeavour.
In practice
- Hold stories in your memory of where frustration has led to having the energy and resolve to lead positive change
- Recall when your frustration has led to you resolving to make change happen
- See frustrating situations as the opportunity for innovative thinking
- Allow frustration to build up to the point where there is an openness to new thinking whilst avoiding frustration leading to dejection
An extract from ‘100 Great Leading Through Frustration Ideas’ written by Peter Shaw and published by Marshall Cavendish in 2019.
In next week’s post we look at how to accept that some frustrations won’t go away and have to be lived with.