Today’s Morning Buzz is brought to you by Karen Tapahe, Public Information Officer for the Utah Department of Corrections. Connect with Karen on LinkedIn.
- What I’m watching: “Elsbeth” on CBS. It feels like a modern version of “Columbo.”
- What I’m newly obsessed with: Hockey! (Utah got an NHL hockey team this year, and I’m a super fan)
- What I’m listening to: “Cover Me in Sunshine” by Pink and her daughter, Willow.
Several years into my communications career, I noticed a disturbing trend. Whenever I felt like I had everything under control for a project or event, something would inevitably happen to shatter that illusion. I would find myself sobbing in a corner and unable to function.
I wish I could say that I came up with a solution then. Unfortunately, this was becoming my Kryptonite, and it followed me to my job working in city government. I was responsible for broadcasting (live streaming) the city council’s work meetings. Over time, I had developed a regular process and a checklist for setting up the broadcast. The odds and ends of problems we encountered would disappear when we upgraded the equipment we were using…right?
Wrong! There was no way in the world I was going to be that lucky. New equipment brought new, and sometimes more frustrating, problems. There was also additional pressure from those who approved the funding for the upgrade. Why didn’t better equipment actually make things better?
As each issue arose, I felt weaker. This Kryptonite was taking away my power and my skills. Or that’s what I was beginning to think.
I honestly can’t remember what sparked my turnaround. It may have been that I was just tired of feeling defeated. So I faced my enemy and named it. CHAOS. That’s what it was. Chaos was entering my life and was winning the battle.
Once I named it, I suddenly felt a wave of calm. It was no longer an unknown. Chaos was the problem. Then I thought about it. Could I get rid of chaos completely? Could I avoid chaos? The answer to those questions was a definite NO. Chaos happens. (Remember that old bumper sticker? $#!t Happens!)
That was when I decided to turn this Kryptonite into my superpower. Instead of fearing the problems, I challenged them. For every council meeting or other large event, I would say to myself, “Bring it on!” I knew the chaos was coming and was almost looking forward to it. Here was my opportunity to face each problem with confidence and defeat it.
This change in my attitude made all the difference. I got myself a desk sign that said CHAOS COORDINATOR. I shared my mantra with coworkers, and we became an unstoppable team, just as the pandemic brought even more chaos into our lives.
We were suddenly streaming all of our meetings. We had to deal with elected officials lacking in technological skills, members of the public getting used to participating online, and a variety of presenters who were a mixed bag of abilities to make the system work. My “favorites” include the council member who would forget to un-mute his microphone regularly and the police officer whose video was flipped upside down during his entire presentation.
By the time we emerged from the pandemic, we had become the team that others consulted with about live streaming meetings. Not bad for someone who once gave in to defeat when problems arose. When I left that position in 2022, Chaos Coordinator had practically become my official job title. They even engraved it on the plaque I received for my years of service. Chaos was no longer my enemy. It had become my superpower!
I am not sharing this with you because I am special. I’m not. I’m just one of this amazing group of government employees who face so much every day in order to serve our communities. We aren’t in it for the money, and that can make it even harder when challenges arise. If I can turn myself around, so can you.
- Name your Kryptonite. What is the wall standing in your way, or the thing that is making you crumble? Give it a name.
- Decide how you are going to face it. People fear the unknown the most. Now that it has a name, you can figure out a game plan.
- Develop a mantra/slogan/catch phrase. This sounds kind of silly, but it works. All of our favorite superheroes have their catch phrases. It flips a switch in your mind to get you on track for the battle. Shazam had to say “Shazam” to transform, Wonder Woman (TV version) had her spin, and then there’s the ever-popular “Hulk Smash!”