Today’s Tuesday Reading is from Garrett Fields, Manager, Cloud Computing, The George Washington University, and a MOR program participant. Garrett may be reached at [email protected] or via LinkedIn.
Recently, IT at my institution was hit with a massive curve ball: the physical campus where most staff report has been sold, and we must vacate within five years. Because of strict NDAs, the deal was done in total secrecy, meaning executive leadership had made zero plans on how to accomplish the relocation of our offices, data centers, and other major academic departments.
Talk about trying to navigate without a map! Here are my three biggest takeaways from a wild week:
1. Leading Through Ambiguity
A change like this isn’t a new office; it deeply disrupts families, commutes, and people’s sense of stability. To help staff navigate this, I’ve leaned heavily on our MOR tools:
- Inquire Because it’s Personal: I’m spending time checking in, not to “fix” things, but to provide a safe space for people to process the shock.
- Communicate Without a Plan: Because the plans literally don’t exist yet, I am choosing transparency: “I don’t have the answers, but I promise to share the information the absolute second I get it.”
- Immediate vs. Important: Relocating a data center in five years is Important, but not Immediate. However, the anxiety my team is feeling right now is absolutely Immediate. Putting 5-year logistics in their proper quadrant frees my energy to be present for my people today.
2. API: Managing My Own Beliefs
Separately, I had another “ah-ha” moment. I have walked past a whiteboard that has “API (Assume Positive Intent)” written on it for years – so long that it would take an actual whiteboard cleaning spray to start to remove it. I haven’t given it a second thought, but recently, I finally stopped to really read it and took the time to reflect on what it actually means.
I realized API isn’t just a courtesy we extend to others; it is a vital tool for managing my own internal beliefs first. When a terse, frustrating email comes in, or I have to step into a difficult conversation, my brain may drift toward worst-case scenarios and defensive assumptions. That stubborn dry-erase marker reminded me that API means consciously intercepting that thought process. I choose to believe the best intentions of the other person before I have all the facts. Managing my own beliefs first allows me to enter into difficult situations from a place of calm logic rather than reactive emotion.
3. The MOR Ripple Effect
Despite the campus chaos, I had a fantastic reminder of my MOR experience. A group of IT MOR alumni recently teamed up to create presentations of key MOR lessons to bring to IT leadership with the intention of further helping improve our department’s culture.
I attended their dry-run presentation (“Feedback is a Gift,” “Lead/Manage/Do,” and “Being Intentional”). They were outstanding. Watching them prepare to influence upward – and seeing them actively use the classic “+” and “Δ” framework to give feedback – was incredibly inspiring. It’s proof that these tools don’t just stay in the workshop; they actively change how we operate. It really helped me gain camaraderie with the alum.
Looking Forward
We may not know where our data centers or offices will be in five years, but this experience proves to me that we have the tools to figure it out together. By communicating transparently, managing my own mindset with API, and leaning on the ripple effect of the MOR community, the extreme ambiguity feels a lot more manageable.
Which emotion best reflects how the article mirrors your experience of major change?
Last week as we considered personal change and transition, we asked where you find yourself right now as a leader:
- 19% said ending what was
- 40% said transitioning – the in-between
- 23% said beginning what will be
- 19% said relatively stable
Wow! Over 80% of us currently find ourselves in some form of transition as leaders. That’s a lot of change. While this can feel like a time of tension or uncertainty, we encourage you to stay with it, both to deepen your evolving sense of self and to support others through their own transitions. If so many of us are navigating this space, it’s likely our teams are as well. What might it look like to lead with that awareness? Finally, as we were reminded this week, your MOR leadership experience provides perspective on the tool set, skill set, and mindset to help navigate times of change.