How do we live with happenchance ? We want life to be ordered and fair. We plan hard but life is never predictable. Random events throw us off course. How can we use happenchance to advantage and not be thrown or destroyed by it ?
Successful leaders see happenchance as a releaser of energy and not an unpredictable evil, says Peter Shaw.
Young leaders may start off with similar backgrounds and skills. Happenchance will take them in different directions. A key learning is how they respond to happenchance. The strongest swimmer will develop the capacity to go with the flow, stand up to the waves, avoid drowning, recognise the ebbs and flows, come up for air or, move to a different bay.
These capabilities apply to the aspirant leader just as readily as to the swimmer.
Go with the flow
Going with the flow means the swimmer reaches their destination more quickly than their own arms will take them. It means having a clear line of sight and modifying the trajectory to take account of the prevailing current. It is recognising that sometimes you are in the right place at the right time and taking full advantage of those situations to allow your confidence to take you forward to the next place.
When you have champions it is aligning yourself with those champions and “following in their slipstream”. Success when going with the flow is not about complacency, but investing in networks, colleagues and supporters so that a bank of goodwill is built up for the future. Going with the flow is about being optimistic and seeing change as an opportunity and not a threat. It might mean making your own luck by having the confidence to see positive opportunities where the water flows strongly in one direction. It also means bringing a generosity of spirit and not trumpeting your own good fortune.
· keep your champions |
· be at the right place at the right time |
· go with the opportunities |
· invest in supporters |
Stand up to the waves
Sometimes it is just hard graft for the swimmer as they swim against the tide. It is no fun and requires dogged endurance.
Standing up to the waves is part of coping with happenchance. There can be wave after wave of problem or criticism which appears relentless. Part of coping comes from believing that the storm will not be for ever. It is accepting that there will be a succession of pounding waves with repeated blows to the chest . It may mean “rolling with the punches” for a while and drawing on stores of resilience.
· believe the storm will pass |
· hold on to your own self belief |
· accept that blows will keep coming for a while |
· be thankful for the resilience you have |
Avoid drowning
A wise swimmer will keep up a pattern of breathing and avoid unnecessary risks. It is about not going out of your depth and having trusted friends along with you who will spot the signals if you begin to get out of control. Avoiding drowning is about holding on to your values and the rhythms of life that keep you going. It is about not being panicked even though the waves are getting stronger. Success is about holding on to your strengths and using them in a focused way.
· be ready to cope with random events · be supported by trusted others · seek coaching so you are kept sharp and efficient · keep the rhythms of life that are most important to you |
Recognise the ebbs and flows
The good swimmer will know about the ebbs and flows of the tide and will take account of the currents as they plan their swim. Success as a leader is often about recognising the ebbs and flows. Sometimes we are in the wrong place at the wrong time: success then is recognising that reality and moving on. An individual can be hugely successful one year and be regarded as a failure the next year: they are same person bringing the same attributes, but fashions or moods change and reputations can rapidly fade.
Recognising the ebbs and flows is about accepting that life is not fair: you may have striven hard to reach one objective, but as you get close to that goal the wind has changed and you are on the wrong pathway. Moving on involves accepting that you need to make a new start. It is believing that even when the tide is against you, it will turn. It is believing that cycles can be broken and all of a sudden there can be a breakthrough.
· don’t believe that life will always be fair · accept that there will be moments when you will be in the wrong place at the wrong time · be prepared to see failure as the start of the tide turning · accept that there can be new life when the tide turns |
Come up for air
However strong the lungs, an experienced swimmer needs to come up for air on a regular basis. Sometimes we think that success in dealing with happenchance is about keeping our head down and using all our energy to keep on a pre-determined trajectory. But breathing fresh air is crucial. We need to be taking in new sources of energy and developing that lung power. Training and development in both technical skills and in how to keep ourselves focused is central to success. It is about persistence and continually seeking that necessary intake of oxygen.
· accept that you need to continually come up for air · draw inspiration from living in parallel worlds so energy in one area can permeate other areas of life · keep embedding new learning · use a coach or mentor to help you keep a rhythm of breathing |
Move to a different bay
Even the strongest swimmer may decide the time has come to move to a different bay. The pounding of the waves and the strength of the tides may be a source of exhilaration or exhaustion: switching to a new place can be a recognition of reality and not a sign of weakness.
When external events have begun to erode a leader’s energy or credibility it may be right to say “enough is enough”. Where relationships are broken it might not be worth the investment to repair them. Sometimes it is accepting the reality that happenchance has dealt heavy blows. It is time to reinvent yourself, to seek new sources of energy and to deploy your strengths in a new way in a new place, while being true to the values that are most important to you. So often the result is the release of new vitality as the harshness of past waves are put behind you. You walk tall again and the current begins to flow in your direction.
· be ready to move on · believe that however sapped you are that there can be new energy · allow yourself to be curious about what swimming in a new bay will be like · believe that consistency with your values will enable you to cope with major change |
Happenchance: friend or foe
Allow yourself to see happenchance as sometimes the best of friends and on other occasions the worse of foes. Don’t become too enchanted by the apparent warmth of friendship from happenchance, or too entrapped by the gloom that happenchance can bring. Success comes through understanding happenchance for what it is, keeping a healthy detachment and knowing what values are most important to you.
This article was printed in Public Service Magazine, April 2008.
Peter Shaw CB is a founding partner at Praesta Partners, a specialist coaching organisation and has held three Director General posts in Government. He has written a sequence of influential leadership books including, “The Four Vs of Leadership: vision, values, value-added and vitality”, “Finding Your Future: the second time around”, and “Business Coaching: achieving practical results through effective engagement” (co-authored with Robin Linnecar).
Email: peter.shaw@praesta.com
