Swoop and Poop Syndrome: The Silent Epidemic

Authors Note: I was patient zero of this epidemic.

Twirling through the carnival of my own making, blindly believing I was the sun around which the whole operation revolved.

I was high on my own supply, tripping on the illusion that my team was getting enlightened by the scattergun wisdom I blasted their way.

I was a swooping, pooping nightmare, diving into the fray, dropping my load of "insight," then jetting off to my next flight of fancy, leaving my team holding the bag.

I’m current responding well to treatment - a strong cocktail of humility, respect and communication.

Abstract:

We present our findings on a novel condition, termed "Swoop and Poop" (Formally: Descenditus et Excretum ) syndrome, currently affecting a substantial proportion of small business leaders and managers.

As the name suggests, this affliction encompasses a behavioral pattern where small business leaders and managers frequently intervene in operational matters, often imposing their viewpoints without adequate understanding or appreciation of the context, resulting in confusion, demotivation, and decreased productivity among their team.

This email discusses this silent epidemic in detail and proposes an innovative treatment approach.

Introduction:

In recent years, the small business sector has reported an alarming increase in the prevalence of Swoop and Poop syndrome.

This condition is characterized by leaders or managers who swoop into discussions or projects with little prior engagement, leaving critical or confusing instructions ("pooping") before abruptly exiting the scenario, leaving the team in disarray.

This phenomenon significantly impairs communication, teamwork, and productivity, and exacerbates stress and anxiety among employees.

Methodology:

The study adopted a cross-sectional design involving 500 small businesses in the service, technology, manufacturing, and retail sectors. Data were collected through a mixed-method approach, involving surveys, interviews, and observation.

Results:

Our findings reveal that Swoop and Poop syndrome is an increasingly pervasive issue. It not only disrupts workflow but also impacts the overall performance and morale within small businesses.

Discussion:

Swoop and Poop syndrome significantly contributes to stress, decreased productivity, and high turnover rates.

Treatment:

The proposed treatment model for Swoop and Poop syndrome emphasizes three main pillars:

1. Context Driven Communication: Leaders and managers should explain their ideas and directives, ensuring buy in on objectives and expectations. Giving teams CONTEXT is important. Why is it so important to you that you change CRMs? Change a billing process? Add a new software to a workflow? Your team is smart (or you wouldn’t have hired them, right?)- so if you make a good case, they’ll buy in. But you have to make the case!

2. Feedback: Leaders should consistently solicit feedback from their team. Are you committed to being a good leader? Spending time to thoughtfully ask people how you are doing as a leader is a part of getting better. Stupid and effective version of this (that works) is “Start, Stop, Continue”. Each person gives:

   1. One thing to start doing.

   2. One thing to stop doing.

   3. One think to keep doing.

3. Vision & Resources (Not How) : Your job as the leader is to create the vision and provide the resources for your team to execute on the vision you’ve crafted. This isn’t some hippy dippy servant leadership bullshit - this is how you develop, craft, and manager a high performance organization.

Your job is not to tell your team how to accomplish the vision you’ve crafted.

You have better things to do!

Conclusion:

"Swoop and Poop" syndrome is a silent epidemic currently afflicting small business leadership.

However, our research indicates that its negative impacts can be mitigated by a comprehensive treatment plan centered on communication, feedback, and simplicity of leadership.

Further research is warranted to validate these findings and develop more targeted interventions.

Yours in Outsourcing,

Jon

P.S. No calls this month. Taking June off to hang with family. Drop me an email if you can’t stand waiting a month.

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