Good morning from a foggy Vancouver Airport. Flights are delayed and so the Air Canada Lounge is packed to the rafters. Like me, there are a few people sniffling and coughing with colds, and there are lots of phone calls advising people in other cities of delays and travel challenges. There are aircraft taking off and landing though, so we will all be moving eventually.
I note that there is a certain temptation to use the now often used phrase “first world problem” to dismiss such challenges. And there is truth to that; quite frankly any day I do not have to walk ten kilometers to get fresh water is a good day in my book. There is a certain irony to people in the 1st world getting very upset about air travel for example; simply the fact that the system works most of the time is amazing, and I am grateful for the people who work hard to make my air travel so relatively easy. And that said, problems and challenges are still problems and challenges, regardless of where we reside on this beautiful planet!
I have had conversations in the last 2 hours with people who are facing life threatening physical and mental illnesses, people upon whom hundreds of others are depending on to be at a certain place at a certain time, and people who have been yelled at because of weather delays beyond the scope of their responsibilities. The key to successfully navigating these kinds of issues is in our response.
A fundamental part of successful leadership is self-awareness, knowing enough about myself to be able to make choices about my emotional responses. My fear, or anger, or frustration may well rise up in reaction to particular news, a change to the expected schedule or to another’s emotional outburst, but the key is to respond to these situations, not to react. I find that time for quiet contemplation (meditation, prayer, call it what you will), and physical activity are foundation building blocks for my ability to respond and not simply react. And it is in the contemplation that I learn more about myself. For example, I’ve learned by asking myself regularly, what have I learned today, that when I am tired and worn out, I’m much more likely to lash out at another person. Or I’ve learned by asking myself where did I mess up today, that I will be frustrated by an inanimate object when there is something I’m not dealing with in myself or in my relationships; so the baggage delivery system on arrival at an airport is “stupid” or a “waste of time” when in fact I’m actually frustrated with my own behaviour on a personal level. That’s just me, there will different ones for each of us. And so the more you know about yourself, the more likely you’ll be able to weather the ‘slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’.
May this week be filled with learning opportunities for ourselves.