The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men
Robert Burns, from “To a Mouse”
Gang aft agley
As my most recent two daily posts shared, I have a minor injury to my left ring finger which finds me dictating my daily writing, as well as struggling with all typing of emails sending messages et cetera.
I admit freely to some frustration with this state of affairs! Like most (if we are honest with ourselves), I like to be in control of the path of my life as well as the day-to-day. As to the quote from Robert Burns, this inability to type has prevented me from my plan to write a long and considered piece on “Bravery is essential to Leadership”. In other words, my best-laid plans have gone awry!
So, what to do when we have no control over our current circumstances? We can choose to fight, resist, feel angry, lash out, act out etc.
Alternatively, on the other end of the spectrum, we can choose to take as an approach of full acceptance and go with the flow.
The reality, for most of us, will fall somewhere in between!
With eight weeks of this finger in a cast, my writing, that I love to do so much, will be curtailed somewhat. Whilst I currently feel some frustration, I sense acceptance growing and that I will look on this as an opportunity rather than a frustrating challenge.
An opportunity to think differently, to move at a slower pace, perhaps even to write more concisely! (We will see about that one!)
For yourself, take a moment and consider if current plans you have were somehow forced off the rails, how would you choose to respond?
As a leader, what about changes of circumstance impacting your business or organisation? One such very real example is the current coronavirus outbreak and the impact it is having on business.
How ready are you and your business for such “Black Swan” events?
Something to ponder perhaps.