“Let’s make some lemonade!” is the battle cry from the managers in conference rooms to their staffs when facing the unexpected or the challenge. It speaks to those situations that weren’t anticipated. Its transformational thinking. It may be the best compliment a person could get.
They can change a bad situation into something productive. The saying is so familiar could we have institutionalized this behavior? Let’s explore.
The first assertion is there are only bad circumstances or less then optimal choices in which to operate. We need to meet our revenue targets for the quarter, bring this project home on time and under budget, or our industry is collapsing, becoming outdated. In this past year we can add I can’t meet face to face with my clients or staff. Times have changed, the market changed, the competition has changed. It is fair to say any one of these is inevitable to occur over a 10-year career. The objective is to be in front of the changes, anticipate them, or carve a new direction so as not to be caught having to deal with the lemons of life. In business this is handled through planning practices. Investigating the market, the competitors, our operations, and other industries. There are tactics to minimize the surprises and the changes. Maybe the issue is missing the preparation.
The second assertion is something bad can be changed into something functional and desirable. How is this possible? How does someone develop the skills to do this? What was the last situation you caused this? How did you do it? My example occurred when we expected the software program to generate a specific transaction and learned too late that it had never been programed for that action. We were able to make lemonade out of that situation by changing some of the parameters of the transaction and the processing. We could identify the solution by challenging the parameters of the process. The changes were within the tolerance of the clients and our organization. We avoided complete failure by shifting to an alternative solution. It felt good solving that issue. The tension of fear was shifted into the exhilaration of finding a way to succeed. If life is about pulling operations out of failure all of the time it no longer is the exception.
If there are only problems, then they really aren’t problems, they are your job.
The third assertion is making lemonade is good. Its good in small doses. If it is a requirement of the job, the department or the company, you need people who have the makeup to see this as normal and desirable. People in startups need these people and skills because the number of challenges will exceed the staff’s ability to predict and prepare for the range of possibilities. An ongoing company relying on departments or individuals to do this regularly becomes a burden to the organization. It’s a burden because there is an emotional and physical cost to making lemonade, even when it works. Adrenaline rushes need to be followed by recovery. If we are called to move on to the next fire or the next challenge without sufficient recovery, it won’t take long to be using up an individual’s reserves.
In recap, if you find you are making lemonade regularly, ask why. Why are there only lemons to work with? Do I have the skills and stamina to make lemonade? Didn’t you get into your career to deal with the known and expected and not live life always dealing with the exception, the unknown, the chaos? What would you rather make?
Review of people talking with me about finding a better life, their careers could be characterized by their dealing with what was presented. They learned to deal with what was presented to them thus making lemonade out of their jobs. When asked what would make them happy, they are lost. How could a person so good at making lemonade not know what would make them happy? It’s the same answer you get from someone who just lost their job, they typically don’t know. Making lemonade is a skill. Applying that skill in pursuit of a life that makes you happy is a game changer. If you want something other than lemonade, you need to learn how to create your own opportunities. Contact me to schedule a conversation about identifying what you like or consider one of my programs like Life Reset. Acting on any of these is a start to better options, to a life you will love.
