The Hard Call

Record cold temperatures raged havoc on Dallas this past week, capped off with another 7 inches of snow and ice. Many important meetings, not to mention the Super Bowl, were impacted. Several of my clients were faced with having to cancel meetings; placing participants in limbo who were coming in from literally all over the world. Hard calls in a moment of crisis had to be made. A few observations on what we learned through this experience:

  • Consider all the options. It is important not to knee-jerk when making decisions. Consult with key peers and thought partners to insure we are turning over all the possibilities.
  • Be expedient. When facing a crisis, delaying the inevitable will only complicate the situation. Be thoughtful, consider the options, then pull the trigger.
  • Follow your gut. In the end, your gut seldom lies. Listen and respond.
  • Communicate. In the absence of communication, folks will make up their own stories and solutions. They will take action which may or may not be in complement to your recommendation. So, tell people the rational, completely and thoughtfully.
  • Don’t look back. Move forward. By the end of the week, every meeting we had to cancel was rescheduled. No momentum was lost. In fact, if anything focus was improved, and a deliberate intention was further solidified.

As many of you have heard me say, there are no accidents. Snow, ice, and cancelled meetings can be made into positives by simply ‘changing the frame’ in which we view them. These situations play into the ultimate outcome and how we respond and make the hard calls are an integral part of the plan.

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