Embracing the Unexpected

As a thoughtful leader, you are presented on a daily basis with new challenges, changes to plans, unanticipated opportunities. You are flexible and positive, demonstrating that nothing can throw you completely off course. Except, of course, those things that do throw you off course!

Yesterday something very silly happened, but as is so common with silly events, it turned into an amazing, profound insight which I’m happy to share with you now.

What happened? I made a small salad for myself as part of my lunch. I’ve put a photo of the salad above. I was in a rush so wasn’t thinking too much about it, except to aim for variety. When I sat down to eat the salad, I noticed that the black olives I’d added were the exact same shape and colour as the grapes. I panicked for a moment, thinking “How will I know which one I’m eating?” How silly is that question?!

Of course I immediately realized that I would know exactly what I was eating the minute I put it in my mouth, and luckily I like both olives and grapes. So it was only the initial not-knowing that I was concerned about. We do this a lot, don’t we? We fret about things that are initially unclear.

I quickly turned it into a game. Every time I speared one of the little black round things, I would see how fast I could discern what it was and appreciate the taste. This little game was fun but it was harder than I thought. I kept wanting to know before I tasted it but I didn’t cheat.

It’s important to be able to deal with the unexpected, and it’s great that you can practice this skill. Intentionally put yourself into situations where you will be faced with the unknown, such as the salad experiment. In my case, it was not intentional but I turned it into a positive. If this still seems a bit silly, think about those dark restaurants, where people are ordering and eating in the dark on purpose! It can be fun.

How else could you test and improve your response-ability?

You can try a new approach anytime you become aware of triggers that cause you to stop and waste time deliberating. You can improve your response and speed of response, and I believe you can even pre-frame your subconscious to appreciate the novelty, the unexpected. Tell yourself you are becoming a better and faster decision maker and expect to like the situation that presents itself. It’s well worth it because in today’s world, we all need to be able to make faster decisions and have a growth mindset.

?So, are there big, serious unexpected things showing up in your life? If so, consider honing this skill. Find the people you can trust and be completely honest in your communications with them. Let them know you are working on embracing the unexpected. I can’t stress enough that you want to share only with the right people. Work with a mentor or coach for the very serious or confidential stuff.

You can reflect after the fact, see what you can learn from what happened. Share your stories to embed the learning and help others who struggle with similar challenges. And please consider having fun doing this!

#change #thoughtful #leadership #thoughtleadership #unexpected #fun