What do you do when things fail?
We’re sunk. Going down. Headed for disaster. Immediate thoughts when an event, a phone call, a date, an anything, goes completely wrong. We’ve all been there. The feeling of dread, mixed with embarrassment and worry. Even worse if people were counting on you and you are going to have to let them down. But who says that failure is the only option when problems arise?
“The conquering of adversity produces strength of character, forges self-confidence, engenders self-respect, and assures success in righteous endeavor.” – Richard G. Scott
Yes, it can be difficult to pull yourself up and try to figure out a solution when everything looks bleak, but there are a 4 simple steps that you can take to lead to towards *hopefully* a new solution.
1. Take 10 deep breaths before you react. Many times situations are made worse because someone reacts on impulse. You over correct, trying to protect your dignity, or someone else’s. Often, all that you need is to make some small changes and the situation can be saved, and no one needs to have egg on their face. Take a breath and think before you react. Don’t make a bad situation worse by having a mini breakdown.
2. Call in reinforcements. So the location for an event fell through, your fliers didn’t get printed on time, or your computer crashes the night before a huge presentation, life is not over. If my involvement in twitter has taught me one thing, there is always someone who can help, but you have to be willing to ask. Maybe a friend has connections with a venue that can hold your event? Maybe you can find someone who has the ability to print fliers for you? Or maybe, like I did with @MatchesMalone two weeks ago when his computer crashed, you can find someone to lend you a 250GB external hard drive.
3. Look at it from a different angle. I am sure many of you glanced at this picture and saw a sinking ship. Reality? The boat isn’t actually sinking, it is the angle of the shot. Captured at just the right moment, it just looks like the back end is under. It’s not really a disaster, it just looks like one. Next time you feel like something is crashing down around you, see what other angles you can look from – you may be surprised what you find.
4. If all else fails, be honest. If at the end of the day, nothing can save the event, the date, the whatever…just be honest. Don’t sit an complain about how everything fell apart, but do tell people what happened. People appreciate honesty, and understand that we are all human. Last week, Chris Brogan wrote about a mistake he made – sending an email to 17,000+ people – and how the power of apology works. Of course like anyone, he was embarrassed and wished it would just go away, but he knew that he needed to address it. And by doing so, he not only showed that he was a stand up guy, but probably saved a lot of his business relationships.
What do you think? Any other great ways to try to solve a problem? I would love to hear your stories!
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