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Successful people have failed, are failing and will fail again.
As Tom Peters often says: “Get excited about failures — because
only through failures can you learn, grow and be better down
the road.”
Patience
Most of us hate patience. It’s the “P” word. The “P” word goes
with the “T” word: time. Yet time is a healer. Every successful
StaffCoach™ knows that time and patience are the keys to
developing employees and preventing you from simply “reacting”
to an issue. Sure, there are times when emergency, on-the-spot
decisions must be made.
- When the refrigerated truck carrying your frozen food
shipment breaks down somewhere between Fallon and
Reno, Nevada - When a client calls with a great job that’s so big it could
tax your ability to deliver on time — and if he can’t get
your answer now, the job will go to someone else - When the press wants to quote your boss about a citizen
complaint and you must either get some facts together
pronto for the boss to work from or research the entire
complaint for real accuracy — which could take hours
Most managers confirm that such times are surprisingly rare.
Even those emergency situations almost always allow you time to
ask for a quick word of advice or insight from a respected peer
or supervisor.
Generally, however, you can and should avoid knee-jerk
responses to unexpected situations. Build some time between the
event and your response to it. Use this time to:
- Evaluate the situation objectively (write it down
if possible). - Identify alternative solutions with pros and cons for each.
- Get respected opinions and input.
- Implement your chosen response.
- Assess results and alter your approach as needed.
Getting Results Is All About You“Crisis doesn’t
make or break you
— it reveals you.”
— Don Moomaw