Navigating The Hub: Pivoting Under Pressure

Often, we ourselves so enmeshed in the challenge that we “…cannot name the specific problem because [we] cannot gain a vantage point from which to name it,” (Berger, 2004, p. 345).

When a rugby player is temporarily removed from the game due to a yellow card, the impact on the team is immediate and significant. With an average of 2–7 points scored against them during this period, the disadvantage becomes evident, especially considering an average total game score of 28 points.

It seems that no matter what kind of team you’re in, the impact of a team member absent for a period of time is substantial.

In a rugby game, a missing player impacts their team by 3 major factors:

1. Team attrition — Fewer players on the field lead to increased fatigue, putting additional strain on the remaining team members.
2. Momentum Shift — The absence can disrupt the team’s rhythm, demoralize players, and hinder their focus and decision-making abilities.
3. Panicked Decisions — The pressure of playing with fewer players can lead to rushed decisions and costly mistakes.

Navigating Absence in the Workplace

These same factors can impact teams in the workplace. I’ve been wondering lately how we might prepare for the inevitable impacts of absent team members and how to set our team up to adroitly pivot in these regular occurrences.

• Listen — When a team-member is absent, listen. Prioritising open communication and actively listening to our team’s needs and concerns can ensure each member of the team has what they need to continue high- quality work. We can directly ask our teams to determine the key requirements for continuing to do their best work despite fewer humans. I’ve adapted Brene Brown’s DTL container-building questions to suit this challenge:

1. What do you need to show up and do the work whilst person x is absent?
2. What will get in the way of you showing up and doing the work whilst person x is absent?
3. What does support look like?

• Teaching people to lead and follow will facilitate any member of the team to potentially fill the gap of an absentee. Relational leaders are able to “flex” between leading and following as the moment presents itself. When we follow, we allow ourselves to observe differently. Additionally, leaders must learn to delegate. Those who insist on doing everything themselves, rob others of the opportunity to contribute and rob the team of trust.
• Outsource to AI and tech where you can. Although this won’t help the rugby team, how might you capitalize on the AI revolution to assist your team? AI-powered tools can automate tasks that might take-up time that could be used elsewhere. These are tasks like data entry, report generation, or email responses, freeing up time for the remaining team members to focus on more critical work. You can also have AI manage the absentee’s schedules, reminders, and notifications, ensuring that important deadlines and meetings are not missed. Collaboration platforms such as, Slack can ensure that everyone continues to be privvy to any decisions that have been made.
• Ensure everyone is on the same page. For us, it means ensuring that everyone knows their roles and what is required. That way, when someone is absent, they know exactly what to task their replacement with. We use a combination of Google Calendar and a weekly spreadsheet.

• Each day we conduct a morning stand-up meeting for 10 minutes. This allows us to be agile enough to respond to absences as well as getting someone who is returning to work back on the page. We can also offer support to each other for the day ahead.

By implementing these strategies, we can help our teams weather the storm of absences and maintain effectiveness and morale.

Just as a rugby team must adapt to the challenges of a yellow card, teams must be prepared to navigate the impact of team member absences. By empowering our teams, leveraging technology, and fostering a strong team culture, we can minimise the negative effects of absence and emerge even stronger.