Even before I start writing this one I have a feeling you will know exactly what I’m about to talk about since there’s a high chance you may have experienced something similar recently…
Two weeks ago I had a few media interviews to introduce Gibebe and the Career Coach workshop we had on the 8th of May…on Tuesday 4th I was scheduled to appear on a TV Breakfast Show and needed to be at the studio at 7:30am…knowing how tight media schedules run, I was on the road by 6:30am quite sure I’d be in the city centre by 7:15am latest…that is until I drove out of my gate and encountered traffic like I haven’t seen at that hour in some time…the traffic that Nairobians call “rain traffic” , this is where it’s raining heavily and cars are so backed up on the road, no one is hardly moving. Being the optimist I told myself that a truck / car had probably had an accident and the traffic would start moving shortly….
At 7:30am, I was still sitting in traffic, barely ten minutes from my destination but moving very slowly! Believe it or not by the time I got to the studio it was 8:30am and I was met with my furious project coordinator and publicist and even more furious producer of the show…they were all so mad at me and I was at a loss to explain the traffic disaster on my route that made me miss the Interview…I don’t like to give excuses so I apologized for missing the show and left it at that. I felt terrible, not just for the missed opportunity but also for disappointing my team.
Why am I telling you all this? To show you that all of us experience the usual frustrations when unavoidable circumstances impact our ability to harness opportunities and deliver results. For you it could be illness, family problems, an accident or any other situation that leads you to miss out the ultimate job interview, client pitch or meeting with your boss. Sometimes no matter how hard we try, situations can still go wrong…the important thing is how you recover from your lost opportunity…
First of all, you need to let go of the disappointment and frustration that you have as a result of it, don’t be too hard on yourself, crying over spilt milk will not change what happened. Do your best to salvage the situation by explaining (in a professional manner) what happened, however remember not to sound like you’re giving excuses. Apologize to the affected party even though it was out of your control. Once you have done this, focus on the next opportunity or solution that will help you to turn things around.
I can assure you that things WILL happen in life that will be out of your control – the important thing is to remember to shift your focus from what you can’t change and back to what you can do to turn things around.
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