Un…pre…dictable

As my friend and I arrived for our morning walk we were met by an unexpected scene, where a car had crashed into the wall of a nearby building. Had we arrived minutes earlier, we may well have been caught up in the accident and our morning plans shattered.

We often go through our busy lives under the illusion that we’re managing, controlling and mastering it all. We know that not everything is predictable, and sometimes sh…tuff happens. Not always the car-crashing-into-a-wall stuff, but everyday changes and unplanned happenings in work and life.

When we’re operating with the control mindset, over-scheduled and over-committed, and expecting all will go according to plan, it’s a recipe for frustration and disappointment.

Of course, we humans are adaptable, and navigating the unexpected requires us to practice this 21st century workplace skill.

That practice looks like …

… taking a deep breath when things go wrong

… seeing the humour, or the wonder, in the unanticipated

… moving through plan b through z

… starting again

… changing one thing, or ten things, to keep moving forward

Whether it’s a technology snafu, someone off sick, or a crashing into a wall, it happens.

I’m curious, how readily do you adapt to the unexpected in work and life?

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