|
One of my favorite definitions of organizing is "the ability to
recover."
Several years ago, during Hurricane Fran and nine days without water,
electricity, or telephones, I had the opportunity to experience that reality – and to
identify areas I could have organized more effectively! (Fortunately, there were also many
examples of success!)
Daily we read of weather disasters around the world, but we often face other
situations that feel disastrous. At no time in history have we been faced with greater
opportunities to practice our ability to recover, or to put it another way, the ability to
cope with constant change. In the world of business, we face mergers and downsizing, as
well as the unprecedented growth of home-based businesses with little or no administrative
support. An advertisement I saw recently read "You think you understand the
situation, but what you don’t understand is that the situation has changed."
On the home front, the picture is similar. There are more dual-career families
and single-parent families than ever before. In addition, due to our aging population,
many families are struggling with the challenges of caring for their aging parents.
So how do you survive, and even thrive, in this ever-changing world? Consider
these tips:
- See change as an opportunity, not an adversary.
Werner Erhard’s advice
to "Ride the horse in the direction that it’s going" can make the
difference between breakthrough and breakdown. Because of the lack of power in our area,
schools were shut down and offices were closed. It was, to say the least, an
inconvenience. But it was also an opportunity. All the members of our family who were in
the same situation got together daily. Different members of the family contributed what
they were able; some cleared trees, some stood in line for ice and water, some took care
of frightened children, and some prepared food on our outside grill. As we were standing
outside eating our roasted corn and grilled chicken and onions, one of the children
commented, "If this is how the Indians ate, they were lucky."
- Study how the situation has changed, and what you can do to take advantage of it.
I was in California on a business trip when the hurricane hit, and was stranded in
Dallas for 2 days waiting for the Raleigh airport to open. My immediate reaction was to
think of all the crucial things that I needed to do in the office, but obviously there was
nothing I could do about that. There turned out to be two great opportunities. First, my
son is getting married in October, and I had yet to find a dress. I took the hotel shuttle
to the shopping center, and found a perfect dress. (As a bonus, it cost less than half of
what I had expected to pay!) Secondly, I had my laptop computer with me, so I had 24 hours
to finish a manuscript I was working on.
- Recognize that the only thing you may be able to change is your attitude. One
of the most moving stories I ever read was of a Japanese prisoner of war who was assigned
to work all day every day in a sewer. In the beginning he feared he could not survive,
until he came up with a plan. He decided to pretend that he was in the garden with Jesus.
Everyday he thanked God that he didn’t have to suffer the indignity in front of
others, and that he was able to be alone with the Master in this beautiful garden.
- Ask yourself if your struggle is really necessary.
Oftentimes we put
ourselves in situations, and then complain because we’re so miserable. Yogi
Berra’s infinite wisdom "If the people don’t want to come out to the park,
nobody’s gonna stop them." is worth consideration. Trying to control situations
over which we have no control is a bad investment, and detracts from our ability to tackle
other issues where we could make a real difference.
Many of us wish that all this change would go away – or at least slow down,
but it’s won’t and it’s not! Today may well be just a warm-up for the game
ahead. Tomorrow promises an even more complex work and a still faster rate of change. We
can survive, and even thrive, if we accept the situation, and identify the areas of life
that we need to organize more effectively, so that we will have the ability to recover
from whatever life throws our way.
Organizing works – even in the hurricane of life.
|
