A close friend recently took up horse-riding again after 25 years out of the saddle and bought a chestnut gelding named “Thumper”. And thump she did when she lost her balance and hit the ground within the first week. Horses and small business don’t have a whole lot in common … except that they both cost money! However, as regular readers know, I’m a big fan of analogies — I’ll turn anything into a business lesson. So here are four tips to help you recover when things don’t go according to plan…. Assess the Damage At 16.2 hands, Thumper is a big boy. For non-horsey people, like me, that means his back is as tall as the average fridge. Imagine toppling from that height … ouch. The first thing my friend did was check for injuries. Fortunately, she was left with nothing more than a few bruises and a horse in need of a little reassurance. So what’s the business lesson here? When something bad happens, take a few moments to assess the damage, both to yourself and your business — settle from the shock, establish your priorities and treat anything urgent.
Be Objective
It’s hard to be impartial in the face of adversity, especially if you feeling hurt or angry. But putting your emotions aside is the most effective way to dig yourself out of trouble. To start, objectively identify what happened. Turning an event into a newspaper heading is a neat way to do this. My friend’s headline would read, “Novice Rider Falls off Horse”. The emotional-fuelled contrast might be, “Bad Rider is Stupid and Deserved to Fall off Horse”. See how one simply states the facts, which provides a foundation for action, while the other lays blame, makes assumptions and throws insults, which ultimately achieves nothing?
Don’t Face it Alone
My friend shares a stable with some caring and experienced horse lovers, who came running at the unmistakable sound of a human body hitting the dirt. One helped her to her feet, another caught Thumper and, later, when the dust settled, someone showed her how to improve her riding. Remember that you also have help at hand — put any pride and embarrassment aside and tap into your network of friends, mentors, peak bodies and business services. Many hands really do make light work, which means you’ll get through the tough times faster, with plenty of lessons and growth under your belt.
Get Back on the Horse
Excuse the pun, but the next thing my friend did was get back on her horse … literally. This wasn’t easy, of course, but it pushed the healing process to the next level and restored her confidence — the small success of safely and happily being on Thumper again was incredibly symbollic. The same applies to you and your business … make a conscious decision to deal with what happened and move on. Try brainstorming your options and use the results to develop a clear plan, including goals and timelines. At the same time, revisit the risk assessment in your business plan or write a procedure for dealing with difficulties in the future. Lastly, remember that you’re human — people make mistakes and inexplicable things happen that we can’t control. But remember the words of entrepreneur and car magnate Henry Ford: “Failure is only the opportunity to more intelligently begin again”.
