Just When You Had It All Figured Out – Surprise!

Just when you thought you had it all figured out...

So there I was, minding my own business, traveling down the highway, when I noticed that all the cars taking my exit were slowing down pretty drastically.  Naturally I slowed down too and, being the defensive driver that I am, I also checked my rear view mirror to make sure the driver behind me was following suit.  Strangely enough, he wasn’t.

I did my best to get out of his way, but there simply wasn’t enough time.  By the time he realized what was happening and hit his brakes, it was too late.  SMACK!  Bumper met bumper, a lot of glass and plastic was shattered, and two days immediately changed direction.  Just like that: no warning, no preparation, no planning, just change.

Life is full of little surprises like that, some good, some not so good, and each contains a lesson…if you look for it.  I know it will come as a surprise to everyone reading this, but I’ve decided to look for the lesson in my little melodrama.

Risk Is A Part of Life, Especially Business Life

First, let’s talk about risk.  Every time I climb behind the wheel of my 5,000 pound vehicle, I know there’s a degree of risk involved.  I do my best to minimize the risk: I always wear my seat belt, always drive defensively, always pay attention to the cars around me, that sort of thing, but I can never eliminate the risk entirely.  No matter what I do, there are other people on the road and I have no control over their actions.

The same is true of your business.  No matter what plans you make or how many precautions you take, there’s risk: risk of financial loss, risk of looking foolish, risk of failure.  If you want to avoid risk, don’t go into business for yourself.  Of course, working in someone else’s business comes with its own set of risks.  Risk is unavoidable; it’s an integral part of human existence.

The good news is that where there’s risk, there’s also reward, and often (but not always) the greater the risk, the greater the reward.  So what’s holding you back from taking a few risks?

When It Comes to Reactions, the Choice Is Yours

I’ve been in accidents before.  They suck, no doubt about it.  This one was a little different, though; instead of freaking out and getting upset, I was totally relaxed.  The other driver was obviously embarrassed and very sorry, and it just seemed to me that pitching a fit would be counter-productive.  So I chose to stay cool, calm, relaxed.  In the grand scheme, what happened was no big deal.  Yes, I’m sore and will probably have to spend some time recovering, but no one died.  The car’s can be repaired or, worst case scenario, replaced.

The lesson?  Always remember that we choose our reactions to our circumstances; whether we make the choice consciously or not is up to us, but either way, our reaction is our domain.  Not life’s, not God’s, not the other guy’s: ours.  Owning that choice is the difference between living life or letting life live you.

So the next time something you weren’t prepared for happens in your business, stop for a moment and decide how you’re going to react to the situation.  It could be one of the most important decisions of your life.

When Things Go To Hell, Keep Your Wits About You

My wife has been drilling into me for years the importance of getting as much information as you can out of the other driver including, if at all possible, a written statement.  The reason, she says, is that the moments immediately after an accident are when you are most likely to get a truthful answer, before the other driver has a chance to start crafting a different version of what happened.  You’d be surprised how many contrite accident-causers cry foul after chatting with their friends.

Partly because of those reminders and partly, I believe, because I chose to stay calm, I remembered to ask for the written statement.  The other driver was so shaken, he actually wrote a full confession, even writing that he had been distracted by a passing truck-full of cucumbers and hadn’t had time to react to me stopping.  Amazing!

This is a great endorsement for two of the most important words in your business: Don’t Panic!  Panic is distracting and it leads to making bad decisions.  If you panic, you’re not thinking clearly.  Instead of panicking, stop for a moment, take a few deep breaths, and think about your next step.  Chances are pretty good that you know what to do; you just need to quiet your mind down enough to be able to hear the answer.

So there you have it: three business lessons from a fender-bender.  What lessons do you see in it?  Leave a comment to let me know!