We often get bogged down over the little things and when things don’t go exactly to plan. Small, non-important, or trivial things, can, if you let them, get you sidetracked, upset, doubting, upset, and cause a shift in focus. All these possible negative emotions can change the course for the day. Why do it? Why do we sweat the small stuff?
I will tell you why. We get trapped in a daily routine. We perform nearly the same functions each day with the same people, at the same place, and when these small little things don’t go the way they should, we get ticked. We get annoyed because we think they shouldn’t happen. We think that everything should go smoothly and problem-free. You see, our ego gets in the way of things and has a certain set of expectations on how things should run and be handled. When something doesn’t get done the way we want it done, or something causes us grief, we react. Often that reaction is getting upset. We need to practice not sweating the small stuff. And it is all small stuff!
Why ruin your morning or cause a rise in your blood pressure, or “give it” to someone because they didn’t do what you told them to do? There is a better way. When something like this happens, you have to pause and say to yourself, “In the big picture of life, is this really important? Will this matter in a year? Will I even think about this in a few weeks?” After asking yourself these questions, you will most likely find yourself answering “no” to all of them. You will then realize that you need not sweat the small stuff, and your reaction will be much different.
Instead of getting upset, you will find yourself more relaxed and in a better position to handle whatever small stuff didn’t go quite right. I have worked for managers who would get upset, even furious when things didn’t go to plan. It never looks good on their part. As a leader, you should always stay calm, cool, and collective. How you handle situations is a key indicator of how well you can lead. The more calm and understanding you can handle things that went sideways, the more effective you will be at solving problems and keeping your attention focused on more important things, such as winning the sale, hitting your monthly target, etc.
There is also another benefit to not sweating the small stuff. Your team will respect you more. They will become more loyal to you. They will see that when they make a mistake, or when something is not handled how you wanted it handled, that your reaction to the situation was calm and supportive. Instead of raising your voice or putting someone in their place, you stayed calm, took corrective action, or gave good guidance, solving the problem. You showed the other person that everyone is human and all of us make mistakes. You didn’t sweat it, and you stayed focused on the bigger picture (what really matters).
Be a great leader and practice this. Your own health is worth this and your team will be even more loyal to you. They will want to work for you any day. And when they might become managers, they will do the same to their employees. You see how this all ties into building a great company and team culture? Think big picture. Think long term. Don’t sweat the small stuff!
-Happy Selling!