Step back before you react!

At times, it is necessary to start with the end of the story and fill in the details afterward.  So, here is the point of today’s article: stop overreacting!  We all do it, but some of us are less tempered in our reactions than others.  Leaders can find themselves in difficult situations when they overreact.  Think of what the word means- overreaction is a response that is over, or more, than what is necessary.  An overreacting leader may be tempted to throw more money at a problem than needed, or fire employees over a relatively small mistake.  While this is easier said than done, the way to guard against overeating is to pause before making decisions.  Make sure you’ve gathered all the necessary information and consulted the appropriate people before making a potentially costly decision.

I almost overreacted in an expensive way a few days ago.  I live on a steep hill, so I depend on a self-propelled, all-wheel drive, walk-behind mower to keep the grass cut.  It’s too steep for a riding lawn mower, and there’s too much grass to cut it with a weed-eater alone.  Therefore, the self-propelled mower is an essential piece of equipment.  As I was mowing the hillside last week, the mower suddenly lost power.  The engine was running, but there was no response when I squeezed the throttle handle.  I began the long walk back to the top of the hill, pushing the mower with all the power I had in my legs.  It’s a relatively heavy mower and is very difficult to push uphill without assistance.

With each step, I thought more and more about the price of the repair.  Then I started thinking how it would be easier to give up and buy a new mower.  It may take the shop a few weeks to fix my mower, and I didn’t have that kind of time.  After I made it to the top of the hill, I just stood there for a few minutes, then I went inside for a glass of water.  Once I had the chance to cool down, I remembered that I had a similar problem with my rotary tiller a few years earlier.  The repair ended up being extremely simple- I replaced the drive belt for $10 and it has worked ever since.  So, I did a google search for “self-propelled mower won’t move.”     

All my tools laid out beside my mower, ready to investigate for problems. 

As expected, the first article said that the drive belt may be broken or worn out, so I decided to look underneath the mower to inspect.  All the belts seemed to be in good working order, so I kept reading.  The next article said to inspect the transmission, which is a small black box that houses the gears that turn the axle.  There was so much grass and debris that I couldn’t inspect the transmission, so I started brushing everything out of the way.  Two small wood chips fell out of the big gear that transferred power from the drive belt to the transmission assembly.  Other than that, I couldn’t see anything wrong under the mower.  On a hunch, I started it up just to see if it would work, and voila!  Good as new.

The underside of my mower after cleaning. The transmission is the black box attached to the axle. 

The wood chips had apparently jammed the gear.  Cleaning them out was a free and simple fix to my problem.  Had I not taken a break and started searching for solutions, I would have overreacted and taken the mower to the local repair shop where I would have paid at least $75 for them to clean out my mower.  I had even contemplated buying a new mower, which would have cost me several hundred dollars. 

The tiny wood chips that kept the transmission from working. 

In leadership, it is critical to pause, gather information, and weigh the alternatives before making decisions.  In hindsight, the fix to my mower’s power problem was so simple that it seems ridiculous to have considered buying a replacement.  In the heat of the moment, it’s difficult to think clearly.  When issues arise, pause and step back from the situation before making a rash decision.  In other words, step back before you react!