RULE 32: Anticipate Threats

Threats come at us from every quarter, every day—redundancy, downsizing, takeovers, vindictive colleagues, irascible bosses, new technology, new systems, new procedures. In fact, entire books are devoted to threats—mostly from change— such as Who Moved My Cheese? and How to Handle Tough Situations at Work. If we can think on our feet, stay out of ruts, be flexible and move fast, roll with the punches, and go the distance, we will not only survive change but we shall also be contortionists and athletes of the highest order. Of course, we can’t do all that. There will be times when the threat will overtake us and we get squashed. It happens to us all. There is no getting away from the fact that life gets fired at us at point blank range, and we rarely if ever get time to duck.

But a threat is always that. Once it becomes a reality, we can deal with it. While it is still a threat, it induces fear but can do no harm. Spotting which threat will turn into a reality is the skill. The talent. There are many threats, and we can’t react to all of them. 

There are fewer realities, and we have to react to them. It helps if we don’t see threats as threats, but instead as opportunities. Each threat that becomes a reality is an opportunity to grow and change, adapt and rework our methods and style of management. If our attitude is positive, we tend to see threats less as a negative thing and more as a positive thing— they bring us the chance to prove ourselves. If we never get challenged, we will never improve.

I was once employed as a manager by a company that was taken over. The new bosses brought in their own managers, and three of us were “downgraded”—demoted in other words. We had no choice—apart from walking out, of course. I was, by this time, a committed Rules Player, so I saw it as an opportunity to prove to the new bosses that I was good enough to be one of their managers and, three months later, I was back up there. 

Of the other two, one eventually walked and one stayed “downgraded.” They both bitched and moaned and felt the move was derogatory and demeaning and an insult. It probably was, but I didn’t need to feel depressed about it. I needed to get back up there—upward and onward.

EACH THREAT THAT BECOMES A REALITY IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GROW & CHANGE