Thursday, March 3, 2011

Level-Headed

Everyone has experienced crisis at work or in business... Something has to get done YESTERDAY!!!  There is a general freak-out and you rush around and it seems that everyone else is taking their sweet time getting back to you and you can't understand why.  Furthermore... someone is on your back as to why it's taking so long or, "what are you doing to fix this problem"... to which you have to either make something up or answer "nothing"... neither of which is fun. 

Now... I'll be the first to admit... I never got my homework done on time.  I never dealt well with deadlines.  Some people base their lives on them.  Personally I've always thought deadlines did nothing but induce stress... the task that is given, the build up, and the eventual judgement by someone as to weather or not the task was completed satisfactory... it all adds up to stress.  And I can't stand stress.

So where am I going with all this?  I was meeting with my business attorney today... it was a casual meeting.  He was catching up on some licenses for me (that he was 2 months behind on) and we were talking about some things for the future.  In the process, he's apologizing for taking so long and I'm telling him not to worry, he took on a new partner recently, lost another, his wife had a baby, and he and his assistant parted ways... that's a lot to handle in a few months.  We talked about all the projects I've been involved in in the past month... and how my company is also going through a few personell changes and then he printed out the licenses for me.  I signed them and delivered them to the label... a month before the actual deadline and all is great.

I like my attorney.  He's a good attorney and he's a great associate of mine.  I trust him and we've become friends.  Even though he got two months behind, we made the deadline and there was never any stress because no matter what... I'm working with people I LIKE and can place my trust in.  They have more going on in their lives (as do I at times) than what is "so important" in the moment.  I have found that patience, understanding, and preparation come only when you work with people you like and trust... and that leads to no stress, which allows me to make better, more level-headed decisions... because I know... with the right people... e.g.b.o.k.

Surrounding yourself with the right people is all that matters.