Dropping The Other Shoe, Again

A baby girl, just taking her first steps, fell backwards, hitting her head on the sidewalk.

She looked up at me trying to figure out what had just happened. I looked back at her and started a big laugh.

She thought for a few seconds and started laughing with me. Crisis averted.

Her mother started screaming, swooped over, picked up the baby, and glared at me. Scared me and the baby, who started howling, turned red, began choking, hiccuping, all in all had a very scary experience.

Now I’m not generally in favor of fall-down-go-boom, but when it happens, we have a choice how we react.

Technically, the kid was yowling over being snatched by a hysterical big person. Big people are supposed to know best.

If my boss is going to lose it, I should, too. A contact panic, if you will, or at least team loyalty. Possibilities come when you Drop The Other Shoe.

When the going gets tough, are you the cause of the problem, part of the solution, or a hysterical distraction?

I haven’t noticed any of those three roles keep tight situations from occurring, but they have a lot to do with successful outcomes, building a crew, and having experienced arms and legs for the next opportunity.

And for all you pre-planners out there, I haven’t seen that avoidance is a better strategy. The penalties for avoiding a problem are to some extent debilitating and can be terminal. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

A heroic opportunity is a terrible thing to waste. 

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Also, don't miss our next show! September 11, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Drop The Other Shoe, the first 300 seconds of The Next Business Opportunity: Big Data, Cloud, or Social Media? featuring Chida Sadayappan. Capital Technology Management Hub, Tysons Corner, Free.

Drop The Other Shoe

I was watching an organization internally announce a major new direction...sometime in next three years.

They had a clear definition of where the organization was going and what was creating the need for the decision. They also had a clear vision of the benefits for every associate, and the requirements for each person who wants to successfully make the transition. Serious preparation started the same day as the announcement.

The result was positive buzz. These people were on fire, optimistic, making plans, taking immediate action. That had been missing for the previous two quarters, and was a major driver of the new strategy.

Based on current progress they will be ready to switch to their model in less than a year, and will be able to take advantage of successful market conditions.

What caused this decision? The same things most other organizations are facing, softening demand, threatening punitive, contradictory regulation, confusion about the markets and the coming economy. Nothing new.

What was remarkable was that the owners, by taking long term specific action, instead of moaning and hugging the toilet, have made their organization a better place to be and to join, right now.

If you can’t see an attractive course ahead, make one up. Velocity increases luck.