The clock is ticking, and seems to go faster sometimes until I realise that it is just an illusion, that I am letting some external circumstances get the best of me. Pointless: it is “just” stress. Some say it is hormonal, and I tend to disregard that kind of statement, refocus, concentrate and move on… to the next thing on the to-do list. The famous list looks like an elastic, and it stretches with the last-minute discoveries. So much for a thorough logistics plan and all the contingencies!
One victory over all these milestones, planned and impromptu, is how I manage the somewhat overwhelming daily/hourly news and remain calm. It must be the years, the experience and some solid coaching from reliable professional partners. Getting in the heat of an event is exceptionally boosting, especially when feet are still touching the ground and conversations with partners stay level headed. A bit like the boxing fight between France’s Mormeck last Saturday and Ukraine’s Klitschko: when the Frenchman went on the ring he had nothing to lose, no title to defend. The pre-game meeting and press conference were cordial and fully professional: quite different from the poor and tasteless behaviour Britain’s Dereck Chisora had manifested two weeks earlier. That was everything but composed and sensible (let alone professional).
The idea of being professional calls for some containment, and probably some political correctness. To an extent, weighing one’s words and action to prevent hostility sounds rather more constructive and promising for future projects, whether it is business or not. I have been guilty of losing my temper when faced with a critical blow-up in the middle of what seemed like a smooth plan: not so much anymore. I pick my battles and only “fight” when I judge it is worth my energy. Clearly, it is highly subjective: that is why I have stopped jumping off any cliff whenever a piece of (executive) news had landed on my desk (or my lap, depending on how the message was delivered).
Even if some deadlines have a tendency of becoming moving targets, dealing with the unplanned, good and bad, is the next best skill to develop and refine, down the road. Without putting down any long term university programs, in some professional cases, having learned how to handle diverse personalities takes priority over any technical or academic course one may have taken. It is even outside of any Human Resource league, considering the versatility of the Human species.
One optional bottom line would be to act as an adult, but that would be wishful thinking, and probably discriminatory. What matters comes down to understanding the consequences of one’s decisions (along with the choice of words when communicating, logically), swallowing one’s pride when finding a mistake was made and addressing it accordingly. The rest will unfold if it is meant to happen. Either way, it is sharpening one’s adaptive abilities to then respond or bounce and make a decision. Ah… the art of moving (on): keep the bubble wrap close if you need to pop!