On a plane trip recently, I encountered what most people would relate to as setbacks. Things that got in the way of what I had planned and not gone according to my rules. Yes, there is a part of me that has a control tendency. That is another day’s topic. Back to setbacks – I’m not going to bore you with the details but lets just say the travel plan and the actual travel were a bit different. At first, I was generally ok, being a seasoned traveler, things like this happen. They are to a certain degree out of my control, and I was prepared to absorb the typical nuisance issue which happen when traveling – plane delays, change of gates, etc.
As one challenge after another presented themselves the ok status began to weaken. Consider it like having the experience of a dripping faucet in a hotel room (drip, drip, drip…) which keeps you awake all night the evening before a critical presentation. Each drip making you more and more sleepy but not able to fall asleep. Your internal chaos mechanisms begin to get flustered. Intellectually I knew these were items out of my control, but my inner critic wanted to maintain the level of best outcome possible for my awaiting client meetings. This too was futile. The more I wanted to resolve things the more they became unresolvable, at least to the satisfaction I had defined in my head.
So, what does this have to do with being a leader and best outcomes for your business?
EVERYTHING!
For the past 45+ years I have been pursuing best possible outcomes for both my clients and JKL Associates. This I’m forever grateful to my clients and colleagues. This time I actually stopped and took some of my own advice that I might provide to a client when their business situation appears out of control. That is to look beyond the current now and understand that these are not setbacks but simply detours to get you to your future destination but via a different route. These detours are not known or desired but if we are true to ourselves, we can actually see that they benefit us in many ways.
As I had the time to stop and think rather than just process while in wait and see mode on my travels, I began looking back over the detours in my business career. The more I looked the more I discovered that at the time I defiantly saw them as setbacks. There is no question about it. They were not in my plan and caused any number of delays or redirections. Looking at them in a more in-depth way and placing them into the timeline of my career, I discovered that each of these so-called setbacks ended up being some of the most important detours and learning experiences of my career. As a man of faith, I should have anticipated and accepted it as it is, not my plan, but in the business mindset that is and was not so readily available.
As you look at your business week and the status of your growth as a leader, take some time to stop and look at the setbacks in your career. The journey is quite amazing. If you allow yourself to be genuine in your review, you too will find that for the most part the originally perceived setbacks actually contributed to a growth spirt in your leadership acumen. You might just find out that you start looking for these detours with a more positive and productive mindset. This will give you more innovative ways to not only deal with the dynamics of the moment but participate in a more fruitful way for your growth and that of your organization.
Interested in having a conversation with a Promise Guide about how to convert your setbacks into productive detours? Give us a call (FL) (407) 984-7246 or (MI) (313) 527-7945.
Journey On!
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Celebrating 30 years of Delivering on “Promises”
