How do you show up as a leader when things go wrong? I’d like you to recall the last time when events did not go as planned in your personal life or business, and remember how you reacted. It could be anything from a late delivery – to the restaurant bringing you the wrong order – to losing a very large customer. What words would I use to describe you in this situation?

And they better not be the ABCs.

Last week I attended a workshop taught by Corinne Hancock, a chaos coach, keynote speaker and most importantly, a good friend. Corinne teaches how to use chaos as an advantage. But before we get to that, an impactful part of Corinne’s message is what you DO NOT want to do during chaos.

Avoid.

Blame.

Complain.

It is easy to avoid dealing with a tough issue. But a problem avoided is like fungus in a petri dish. That is just going to grow bigger and bigger.

Blame? Yes, we’ve all been blamed by someone higher up for something that went wrong and it was not our fault.

There are too many complainers in the world – those people who whine endlessly about an issue but do nothing to fix it.

In times of chaos, Corinne reminds us, the most important qualities are the preparation before the chaos, the adjustment during the chaos, the actions you take to address it, and being the curious and intentional leader who shows up to help resolve the issues. We all know people like this. And, unfortunately, we know people who practice their ABCs. Which do you want to be?

There is so much more on her website.