How to Elegantly Managing Surprise
Life is full of surprise. But maybe, that is why life is so interesting and worth living. At least, if we still have the mean for living. From our personal life to our professional life, there is always something that we never expect to happened. However, certain people still can use this “surprise” to his own benefit. Nassem Taleb for example. He was able to use the “surprise” in finance world, a big black swan event to profit. And using this profit, he finally free to do what he like; reading, experimenting in financial market and at the same time, becoming a philosopher.
But, we are not Taleb. Our surprise is at small scale; uur kid get sick, our team member raise a white flag, our budget get cut and the future of our project is in jeopardy. But that is just a part of life. But, how should we manage surprise that happened so often in our life?
Managing surprise is an important skill in both personal and professional life. Regardless of their nature, they can leave us feeling confused, overwhelmed, and unsure of how to proceed.
Based on my experience dealing with small scale surprises, here are some tips on how to effectively manage surprise.
1. Take a deep breath and stay calm
The first step in managing surprise is to take a deep breath. Stay calm. Don’t let the emotion control you. Emotion leads to anger and anger is the mother of bad decision. Deep breath will help you to calm, to think clearly and make rational decisions, rather than reacting impulsively out of fear or uncertainty.
2. Assess the situation
You could be in dire and stressful environment. Sometimes you feel alone and feel no one supporting you. Your boss and your subordinate? They have their own agenda. Your friend? That if you still have someone to be called a friend.
Take a deep breath and gain your composure. Once you have regained your composure, take the time to assess the situation. Ask yourself what has happened. Write it down in detail. Write the situation will help you to think clearly. Think about what are the potential outcomes from this scenario. From the situation and potential outcome, laid out your options are for moving forward.
3. Seek advice
Our situation is not unique. Somewhere on the earth, similar situation has been faced by other people.
Lost your job? So many people in finance in 2008 lost their job. Tech workers lost their job in 2020-ish.
What about losing money in an investment? Ask someone who invest in crypto. So many loser there.
Sometimes, the outlook is so bleak that they don’t know what will be the best options moving forward.
In this situation, the best thing to do is to reconnect with someone you trust. Especially someone that have face similar situation and they end up stronger. Dial their phone number. Start say “Hi” in WhatsApp. Seek advice from them. This could be your friend, family member, or colleague.
4. Communicate effectively
Communicate your experience. Communicate your feeling. Communicate the options of action to be taken effectively. If you are not communicating effectively, your trusted friend might misunderstood. Well, at least they are listen to you. Getting someone listening to you will light up 50% of your burden. The other 50% is to get the solution. Effective, clear and concise communication is key to get closer to the solution. Be honest and transparent about your feelings and concerns, and listen carefully to the perspectives of others involved.
5. Take action
Once you have assessed the situation, sought advice, and communicated effectively, it is time to take action. All the device you collect will mean nothing without actions. Make a thorough plan and start taking steps to address the surprise in a constructive and proactive manner.
Life is full of surprise. And that is what make life so interesting and worth living. However, if we don’t handle surprise elegantly, the consequences might be nasty. And it is best if we can navigate surprise like a boss.
