When the Unexpected Happens
Planning… it’s how we all manage to get through the days, weeks and years. Then, we judge every part of our success from how close we get to achieving the plan.
So what happens when the plan fails? Do you fall back on plan B or do you completely regroup?
Every time I work with a new executive, one of the first things we discuss is the plan. Most times their plan is the last thing on my list. What I want to understand, and get them to understand, is the fact that there’s a high probability of low probability things getting in the way. In other words, crap is going to happen. That thing that you said wouldn’t happen does happen and there goes the budget, the timeline and, sometimes, the project.
Take this real-life example. Got up this morning… Planned to be at the airport at least 2 hours before the flight leaves. TSA backup and SF traffic – both unpredictable.
I download my boarding pass and am immediately prompted to put it into my Apple Wallet.
Went down to check out of my hotel and all is good. Uber driver picks me up and takes me to the airport. I’m on schedule as planned with plenty of time to get through TSA. I’m pleasantly surprised that the line is moving, especially after all the news reporting long lines, delays and missed flights because you can’t get past the checkpoint.
I get to the TSA check in. The agent smiles at me and says, “Just scan your pass”. And then the unexpected happens… the red light comes on. “Try it again”. Beep… red light… “you’ll have to go back to the counter and have them reissue you a boarding pass.”
Now the face of mild panic happens – but not too much as I’ve got plenty of time. It’s 6:08 a.m. Flight leaves at 8:00 a.m. I look around TSA line. Not too bad and the agent says, “Just go through priority, let them know your pass didn’t work but you’ve gone through the line and they’ll move you through quickly.” Cool.
I go back to the counter and see the self-serve. I insert my credit card, punch in the city I’m heading to, and wait for it, wait for it… wait for it… wait f-o-r it. “Oh crap!”
It stops and says, “Can’t find a record of your itinerary. See an agent for further assistance.”
Panic time…. I look at the reservation… right day…. Check. Right time… check. Right airline… check.
Now a real uneasy feeling is starting to creep in. Breathe, Denise, just breathe. I go to the counter line. Wait my turn. The agent asks me for my identification. “Where are you traveling to today, Ms. Cooper?”
“Charlotte, NC, connecting through Dallas,” I reply.
“I see you’re confirmed and checked in, but you’re at the wrong airport. You’re leaving from San Jose,” he tells me.
Now panic is on my face. I’m pretty sure at this point I look like Macaulay Caulkin in Home Alone. PANIC all over the face as I look around trying to figure out where the heck I am and if I’m not at the right airport, how fast can I get there.
The agent calmly says, “You’re at SFO.”
As I calmly turn, my mind tells me this is the moment when CRAP happens and all your plans go out the door. The project is off schedule and now it’s time for the big question: what the heck do I do now!?!
Ever been there?
What Do You Do When Crap Gets In The Way?
How do you respond to what is a fact of life? Crap happens and no matter how carefully you plan…crap still happens.
The sweetness of success comes not from a good plan that goes as planned but when you’ve planned well enough that at the inevitable moment when crap happens, you still reach the goal.
There’s a phenomenon researchers call the success mindset that happens when you’ve achieved repeated success. Often what happens is you or your organization begin to take short cuts and take on more and more priorities, not realizing how much capacity you have to manage everything because your team or department is continuously successful.
So the high probability of crap happening just stops occurring to you. Then a new competitor arrives on the scene, a shipment is delayed, the new IT upgrade takes out your email system and the organization/project grinds to a halt.
Who do you recognize in that moment? The person, team or organization that does the most Herculean effort to get everything back on schedule? How do you respond to the pressure of the moment when failure is a real possibility?
Just so you know, I made the flight. Uber to the rescue. I told the driver what my problem was and he safely and respectfully drove me to San Jose airport by 7:00 a.m. The TSA went smoothly. In fact, they were chipper and quite welcoming.
As I walked up to the gate, one last problem cropped up. As I was one of the last to board, I could see a bit of panic in the eye of the ground crew. As they worked to coordinate the closing of the gate and getting the plane off on time feverishly, I sensed they were trying to keep us from being inconvenienced.
As both the agents passed back and forth in front of me, apologizing each time, I finally said, “You do what you got to do. At this moment I need to make you happy because when you’re happy, this plane gets off the ground. And that will REALLY make me happy.”
“Do what you have to do girlfriend… It’s all good with me.”
She smiled and said, “I so like your attitude.”
That’s when another passenger turned to me and said, “You know what, you’re right. When she’s happy, this plane gets off the ground. You’ve got a great attitude.”
We moved back, let her do her thing and the plan went off without a hitch.
Life lesson learned: Things are going to get in the way. The unexpected will happen. Attitude is what matters.
It was me keeping my cool that helped me get to my actual flight, and have an overall enjoyable experience. In that moment, I was able to keep my wits about me and keep my eyes on the prize: getting to my destination.
Next time you are facing the unexpected (and believe me, you will), keep in mind that success is measured by achieving your goal, not, necessarily, by achieving it according to plan.