When situationally compromised, delegate decisions

There’s cloudiness and pain around the Situation, and you’re feeling (or trying not to feel) resistance to facing what could be painful truths.

You’re compromised. No shame in that; we all have our blind spots, our emotional fragilities, our scars.

But your judgment is compromised, too, and people depend on it. The right thing to do is to delegate to someone else. They’re imperfect too! But everyone’s got a different constellation of blind spots, fragilities, and scars. (This is much easier to do if you’ve identified one or more good delegates in advance.)

Let’s acknowledge: this is hard! and humbling! and deeply uncomfortable! While doing this is actually a form of strength, it’s so easy to feel like you’re demonstrating weakness by admitting what you can’t do.

Try this: “Hey, the situation with X is really challenging for me because it’s too close to some painful personal experiences, and I think my judgment may be compromised. Can I ask your advice, or hand this off to you completely?”

Yes, you can (and should) take the opportunity to learn from the challenge, to work on yourself and your issues—but right now, decisions need making, and someone else’s view will be clearer. Borrow it.