BECAUSE go wrong they will. Sometimes.
In the immortal words of Dr. Seuss:
I’m sorry to say so
but, sadly, it’s true
that Bang-ups
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.”
Whenever we’re stressed or whenever we’re in a hurry, we may make decisions that ultimately come back to haunt us. Life’s twists and turns can have us taking small detours or large ones. The one thing we all have in common is that as we go through life, things go wrong.
One listen to any of the major news outlets gives us plenty of recent examples. And with those recent examples come media outcry and public blame.
Blame, however, is never a useful response. Oh, it’s useful in terms of allowing us to blow off steam. But it’s not too useful in terms of actually getting back on track.
So what can we learn from recent events and from our own failed plans?
Here are 5 things you can do to right the ship, whenever those bang-ups and hang-ups happen to you:
Take responsibility. Owning up has a couple of beneficial results: you stop obsessing over it, and are freed up to move on with clear head and anyone who got caught up in whatever went wrong has yet another reason to view you as honest and acting with integrity. Both are good outcomes.
Take some time. When things go wrong, it’s tempting to immediately act to correct the situation. But, you’ll be under less pressure if you wait, even if it’s just a one day delay. And if anyone’s watching, bouncing back from a decision gone bad by exercising restraint is a huge confidence restorer. Only the strongest know how to take a deep breath and walk away. Allow yourself that time.
Re-assess the situation. Did you miss important points previously? What things have changed now that need consideration? Whatever the issues were when the first decision was made, at the very least, the failure now needs to be put into the equation.
Get some perspective. Stuff happens. Mostly, things go right, right? At the highest levels, things go wrong. Business, politics and sports: there are tons of examples in all of these areas. At the smallest levels, things go wrong. The ONE detail for the party, or the new house…be calm…you’re not alone.
Collect your team and hear their counsel. Whose opinion do you trust? Is there a business team in place? Friends or parents? Who has been through this situation that can offer feedback on what happened and how to move forward: these are the people that will be your “team”. You don’t have to take their advice, but at least listen to their lessons learned. Those lessons will be instructive, even if you draw differing conclusions.
Once you’ve done these five things you’re ready to act. Now, you’ll be acting, not reacting.
[bctt tweet=”Remember to breathe. Life happens. And problems and mistakes are part of it.” username=”bizmastersglobal”]
As the good doc, Theodore Geisel said:
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¼ percent guaranteed).
