Responding Versus Reacting

You know the feeling that even the people closest to you don’t really understand what you do? Well, when I mentioned to my husband this week I was writing a blog about responding versus reacting he looked at me with raised eyebrows and said, “Kathy, what does that even mean?”

I was so glad he asked and I know you might be asking the same question.

Reacting - to act a particular way or show emotion because of a situation or something someone has said or done to you. It’s typically done quickly, without much thought and in a defensive manner.

It’s natural for us as humans to react to protect ourselves in certain circumstances and sometimes that instinct serves us well. Other times, it has a negative impact on our working environment and co-worker relationships.

Responding - a well thought out, calm and focused approach that objectively looks at the solution. It typically provides an opportunity for discussion of the situation.

After working in the field of HR for many years, I’ll admit I reacted when I should have responded plenty of times, shutting down the line of effective communication I needed to keep open.

We all have bad days at work, often due to outside factors, and we know it can cause us to be more upset about something that happens during our day than if we’d been in a good mood.

When you find yourself in a tense situation think about how reacting is going to be of service to yourself and others. Decide if the communication is going to be full of emotion.

You have choices in every situation. You never have to act immediately. It’s always okay to take a few moments, hours, days, whatever is acceptable, to think through a solution-focused response.

If you want help in creating effective changes to respond vs. react, schedule a meet and greet with me and we can take a closer look at the obstacles getting in your way from achieving the results you want and deserve.