Something I've learned over the years is the best time to clean up a mess in the microwave is right after it happens.
Before it hardens.
Because the longer you leave it, the more scrubbing you're going to be doing.
I shared this personal story last night in an online Leadership Essentials class that I am facilitating through Okanagan College on Managing Conflict. We happened to have the owner of a great Salmon Arm restaurant on the Zoom call, and he told me it's absolutely true. You can't let messes sit and become "normal". You have to address the mess!
You may see where I'm going here. . . when it comes to a "mess" at work, among team members, in our organizations, we can't just shut the door and hope it takes care of itself. You have to go after it. You have to address the mess!
One of our online participants last night wisely said that it's important to "let it cool down" a bit first. That's true! When people are "heated" or "elevated" emotionally, it's hard to address conflict right then. Wisdom allows people to "cool down", but then we have to "address the mess".
I find it difficult to even look at this picture of the messy microwave (sorry for dropping it in your LinkedIn feed!) But it's a good reminder in my life not to let conflict or challenges get to a point where they harden and become entrenched.
What mess have you let sit too long? It's time to go after it, to restore the relationships, to clean up the situation. Because everyone will be better when you "address the mess".