Being Objective and Observant When Emotions Run High
It is easy to rant when bad news hits you close to home. It is so much easier to react and not respond. Emotions run rampant as the story challenges your beliefs on ethics, fairness, integrity, and respect for others.
Of course, there are times we remain calm, perhaps it is because we are apathetic, we do not give much time or thought because it did not affect us. Then there are those who are exceptional critical thinkers, who assess the situation and themselves and analyze the irrational thinking of others.
My emotions and thinking were challenged when I first heard that Marsh grocery stores, a longstanding Indiana-based grocer, was closing all of the pharmacies in its stores. Several decisions and announcements by the leaders at Marsh initially evoked disgust and discontent. So what happened?
Marsh stores are struggling amidst stiff competition and executives of the failing company:
· Mandated a conference call that lasted all of three minutes to inform pharmacists that they were closing all the pharmacies within three days. No remorse, no appreciation, no compassion.
· First stated that there would be severance packages delivered, then rescinded and pharmacy staff is not receiving any severance offers.
· Leadership did not know of an obscure Indiana law or perhaps had no choice for cash purposes but to have a fire sale of their liquor because a grocery store in Indiana may only sell beer and wine; it can only sell spirits if there is a pharmacy department.
· Despite all the decisions of their leaders that hit the Indiana media like a flash flood, their highly paid PR firm could only muster, “We’re declining to comment.”
In today’s fast paced world we must accept change and be able to adapt accordingly in which to survive and thrive, most of us are keenly aware of that. It is those organizations that are failing where thinking is used to justify the status quo, to resist change, to discourage creativity, and to thwart transformation.
Organizations that engage in wrong thinking manifest their own death spiral, and in today’s competitive market, most often seal their own doom. Poor thinking yields poor policies, reveals the hesitation or refusal to change, fosters complacent colleagues, and stirs significant internal conflict.
Corporations remain fruitful and dynamic when critical thinking is in place. Assessing reality, becoming aware of changes in the environment, and expert analysis brings about right decisions. A dynamic organization will keep what is well grounded and change or replace what has become obsolete or no longer relevant to the organization’s success.
