How many of us like #surprises and suspense in movies, drama, novel and the like?
Suspense and surprise are liked because they create anticipation, (we even predict what’s likely to happen next) and associated excitement and thrill.
Many a time, what was predicted don’t happen and we are able to accept it as a great twist and the story writer is considered brilliant.
This seems perfectly ok for movies, or in areas where we have an entertainment value and nothing to loose.
Let’s start relating this to our personal life or our Business..
Will we be able to enjoy with the same anticipation, excitement and thrill in real life situations.
In fact, more often we end up pressing the panic button, and start looking for people who can save us from the crisis. Or wwe get into the fight or flight mode.
Especially in Business, when we have suspense, surprises, or when our prediction goes wrong, we are unable to accept the same as easily as we do with drama.
After all, the results from these surprises impact our personal and professional lives.
In this context, we need to note the following:
1. How did we make the prediction, matters.
Did we consider all factors influencing the predicted results?
2. Even if we had done so, how can everything happen as per our expectations or predictions in our business?
That be the case, everyone would be in business.
3. There are two factors which influence the outcome in business.
First is internal and second is external.
We may be able to control the internal factors, but there is very little that we can do about the external factors.
4. Business is a game of uncertainty. The rules of the game keep changing often.
Are we updating ourselves with the changed rules?
5. If the component called excitement derived from surprise and suspense is taken out of business, would someone be in a business?
Business is a combination of this emotional factor of excitement coupled with ambition.
Now comes the question which is likely to change the way we think about unexpected challenges/failures/debacles!!!
How many of us are aware of the possible suspense in our own business?
Have We handled or reacted surprises well in the past? The external factors in particular!
If yes, how well?
If no, what was done about it.
Are we learning to handle the surprises better now?
If yes, great, congratulations, …
If no, how are we going to protect us from this?
The self introspection and the subsequent preparedness to acquire knowledge and resources that might be needed to change the surprise into either an opportunity or an advantage.
It’s time to recall how we reacted when pandemic collapsed the entire world and lockdowns became normal way of living.
Even if any one has not done this exercise before in their business, it is ok. I strongly recommend that they do it, now, I mean right now.
After all, preparedness is the only way through which we will be able to protect ourselves from the probable risk.
We also need to remember that Preparedness is a continuous process. When we are preparing to face and handle surprises, we better be clear that they are surprises, meant to surprise us.
They are surprises, because they either don’t give a warning or even if they give a warning the time to leverage from the warning will be too short..
Bottomline…
Be prepared to handle crisis and Surprises.
-CoachMurali