Managing Leadership^®

I was walking with some friends, and a gust of wind grabbed my baseball-style cap. A lot of things happened at once.

In my peripheral vision, I could sense my friends noticing what had happened. They prepared to stop, turn around, and watch with a mixture of amusement and sympathy as I clambered down the road after the hat, stooping to grab it only to see a new gust of wind carry it away. It has happened to all of us.

But it’s not what happened to me that day.

As the cap lifted off, it seems as though its departure direction and speed were measured by its movement past my hair. My brain must then have instantly incorporated weight, shape, and wind factors to calculate trajectory.

As a result, while still in mid-stride, my right hand shot back and grabbed the hat. By the brim. Right side up. Just slightly right of center. Without the least hesitation in my step I simply returned the hat to my head and seated it firmly in place.

Again, in my peripheral vision, I could see my friends observing what had just happened. They glanced at each other in disbelief, and looked back at me.

It was very important that I show no hint of anything at all unusual having happened. Somehow I managed to simply continue walking, looking straight ahead and waiting for the previous conversation to continue.

I saw my friends, in the midst of their stupefaction, try to assess the situation. They could hardly suggest that I had done something remarkable if it was obviously so unremarkable to me. After all, to do so would imply that they lacked even this “normal” capability. As a result, they were compelled to act as nonchalantly about the whole thing as I did.

So, we continued walking and talking, as though nothing at all had happened. Oddly, this took a great deal more concentration and discipline than had the hat trick. And I had to sustain the struggle not just then, but for the rest of the time we all worked together.

To avoid a repetition, I would have super-glued that hat on if I could. I was quite concerned that I not be put to this test again.

The main compensation was that they were all obviously just as anxious about avoiding such a trial, themselves. And I knew they were working just as hard as I to not even mention it again.

Their puzzled discomfiture was a great prize, even if only privately celebrated. It was all most definitely worth the effort.

The hat trick. It doesn’t happen very often, so you sure do have to make the most of it when it does.

Have you ever pulled off a hat trick? In your personal or work life? Or has your organization ever managed an equally unlikely collective hat trick? Did you get any mileage out of it?

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Today’s tip: Speaking of pulling off a real stunner when the environment tries to undo you – and making it look easy while you’re at it – please be sure to see Wally Bock‘s advice on how to manage in a downturn.

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