Unexpected Moments - Will You Be Ready?

We face them all the time.  Sometimes dramatic, sometimes not.  One thing we can guarantee though, is that unexpected moments are something we should "expect."  So how do we react to these moments?  Just as importantly, how do we prepare to react?

BE READY

I never seem to get used to the idea that I am viewed differently by many employees.  Partly out of respect or partly out of fear - (good grief I hope not the latter!) - they see me differently.  Which means they are watching me (Me = Us).  They are watching how I react to the various issues I must address every day.

Am I consistent?  Am I fair?  Do they realize why the phrase burden of leadership is so incredibly accurate sometimes?  The answer to these questions is simple - it doesn't matter.  We are expected to handle ourselves well.  Period. 

Whether we like it or not, as Charles Wallace wrote recently, with the privilege of leadership comes responsibility.

TIME TO PREPARE


The path to readiness for these unexpected moments is not a difficult one.  It actually comes down to a decision, a commitment, to do the right thing in the moment.  Handling situations well that we know are coming and that we've had time to prepare for, afford us the opportunity to smoothly roll out our plans.  That is not a true test of our leadership.  Yes, those situations are important, and need to be handled well.  However, the true test always comes in those unexpected moments that catch us off-guard.

That is when we can make a huge difference.  Right at that precise moment.

  HOW ABOUT YOU

How do you react when your world turns upside down in an instant?  What do your employees see?  Are you calm, focused, and leading the way; or, in that split-second do you show the team that perhaps you don't deserve their respect just yet?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.




pic courtesy of http://www.blacklava.net/