Why is that people have the tendency to overreact to things? Everyone has been around that person who takes unexpected hiccups and immediately begins to spin it to being the worst thing in the world. In fact, from the moment something "bad" happens, this person becomes the negative Nancy in the room. Nothing positive is heard out of their mouth from that point forward. Perhaps you are that person. Perhaps you have a tendency to overreact when something doesn't go quiet right. I saw this played out Saturday night as the news broke that the OKC Thunder had traded James Harden to Houston. As I read the articles, listened to the sports broadcasts, and perused people's comments, one word summed up the whole ordeal... OVERREACTION. You would have thought that the Thunder had become the worst team in the league overnight. It was actually very comical to read. In the blink of an eye, people were transformed from level headed, clear thinking individuals, to crazy lunatics overreacting to something that they did not see coming.
As crazy as that sounds, I'm curious how many leaders do this. Take a moment and think about it. You take the time to carefully plan something. You have every last detail down. The people who are following you are 100% on-board with what is happening and you feel really good about everything. Then, something goes awry. For whatever reason, something unexpected happens and all of a sudden you're off script. You are taken off-guard and you have to respond accordingly. I wonder what your response would be? Do you panic? Do you think through things calmly and come to a solution? Do you run around franticly like a chicken with its head cut off? Do you lead out in such a way that your people know that everything is going to be okay? How do you respond?
Overreaction never does any good. In the end, it will only give you a headache, and will convey to the people who are following you that you do not have it all together. If you have not figured it out yet, allow me to let you in on a little secret... nothing ever goes as planned! Hiccups will happen along the way, and that's okay. You will be surprised at times and taken off-guard, but how you respond is critical. If you are a leader that overreacts, you need to stop. Take a few breaths, examine the situation, and move forward accordingly. If you don't, you're just like a crazy fan who one day has his team winning the championship, and the next, not even making the playoffs. Don't be a leader who overreacts.
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