Relaxing Stress Strategies - why having a Plan Z should mean you’ll never be dead!
/By Duncan Anderson. To see all blogs click here.
Summary:
It’s not “hope for the best, plan for the worst”.
It’s “plan for the worst, so you can do your best”.
Planning for the worst => lowering stress as you can see how to get through the worst case scenario
Lower stress => execute better (do your best) so it’s much less likely that worst case scenario will occur
Details:
“The person who stresses before it is necessary stresses more than is necessary”… but what if it’s never necessary to stress?
The vast majority of us don’t work in life or death circumstances. We are not doctors, no one is going to die. So there is no reason to stress big.
“Don’t sweat the small things… and everything is a small thing.”
I see one of the key hacks to a good life being ‘trying to make the world better’. If you want to make the world better you will need responsibility / ownership to change part of it.
Make world better => need to take Responsibility / Ownership to change part of the world
Responsibility / Ownership done well => Meaning and Passion (see “Where does passion come from?”)
Responsibility / Ownership done poorly => Stress (eg deadline pressure)
“Planning is essential, plans are useless.” Winston Churchill
Planning is essential = you need to have an idea of where you are trying to get to (destination) and how you plan on getting there.
Plans are useless = No plan survives first contact with reality.
basically all plans will need to be updated significantly to either change the destination or the path to destination.
It is near impossible to predict the future, if you are not changing your plan you will most likely not get to your destination
“It's not what you worry about that kills you, it’s what you don’t worry about that gets you!”
Worry is looking forward to potential problems that you can find solutions for
I.e worrying triggers problem solving
Stress is a physiological response brought about by anxiety and not having an adequate plan to solve your problems
We should be worrying, we shouldn’t be stressing
No plan / Bad Plan = Stress
Planning and updating your plans are essential!
What makes a Good Plan? I think you should have at minimum a Plan A and a Plan Z. But likely a Plan A, Plan B and Plan Z… or ABZ, yes you should all have abs (ABZ), haha! If you don’t have ABZ (abs), plan to go to the gym and work on it! You want abs at the beach and ABZ at work :)! Ok I’ll stop.
What is a Good Plan A?
Components:
1. can see the Destination
2. have a path to the Destination
3. can get to the Destination within the time you have
If you don’t have these 3 components then you have a ‘Bad Plan’. Bad Plan = Stress. IMO you need to be working to get these 3 components ASAP.
What is a Good Plan B?
This is normally the ‘Destination’ from Plan A but with a significant increase in resourcing. Ie we need to call in reinforcements.
So Plan B is that you can flex up resourcing as required.
Ideally each mission critical part of your business has appropriate redundancy (aka ability to increase resourcing) (see Bulletproofing Your Business - “the person who does not have time to help has no advantage over the person who cannot help.”)
If there is a more efficient way to get to the Destination then that should be Plan A!
*aside: having said this, necessity is the mother of all invention. The number of times I come up with a better plan (eg path to destination) because I have had to frankly scares me. How come I couldn’t see this earlier?!
What is a Good Plan Z?
Basically imagine the worst case scenario, eg failures of multiple mission critical components of your business which means you cannot get to the ‘Destination’ from Plan A. This means you will have to let people down.
Good Plan Z = running the worst case scenario to see what you do and how everything will be ok (ie not death of company).
This is worrying, you need to think about all the possible problems and trigger your ability to solve for them
It’s not going to be pretty, but if you are still standing then that is a Good Plan Z.
Early in my entrepreneurial experience I just refused to even let myself contemplate that ‘worst case scenario was possible’. I would say to myself things like ‘we will not let this happen’.
I’ve now found that systematically ‘hoping for the best, but planning for the worst’ means I can massively minimise stress.
Hope for the best = Good Plan A and Plan B
Plan for the worst = Good Plan Z (you live despite everything going to sh1t)
To repeat: if I’ve tried hard to plan for what happens in the worst case scenario and, while clearly not optimal, the company doesn’t die (Good Plan Z) I stress 10% as much when executing Plan A / B.
Stress makes everything worse: physical health, creativity, sleep... execution of Plan A.
Little logic tree:
Outcome = ABZ Plans * Execution
Having a quality ABZ Plans=> Lower stress
Lower stress => Better execution of Plan A
Better execution of Plan A => Lower chance you need Plan Z :)))) (aka worst case scenario will eventuate)
Comment:
I used to not want to think about the worst case outcomes (Plan Z) because I thought it was defeatist. Now I believe having a quality Plan Z means I’m far less likely to ever be defeated!
Jingle: Relaxing Stress Strategies - “Why having a Plan Z should mean you’ll never be dead”
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Odds and ends:
The goal of writing these blogs is not to have fun, but they are fun to write. The goal is to solve a problem I don’t have an answer to currently. This blog has morphed 3x times spawning two separate blogs! Here are some leftover odds and ends that I thought I’d share anyways!
Calm vs eustress vs distress (yes I didn’t talk about eustress vs distress above as felt it was unnecessary complicating of the ideas)
Target: calm = 30%, eustress = 70%, distress = 0%
Realistic expectation for reality: calm = 20%, eustress = 60%, distress = 20%
IMO don’t target for ‘realistic expectations’, there is always work that takes longer than expected and unplanned work that comes up.
Basically things always come in over target, so aim below where you are wanting.
I’ve found that some distress is unavoidable, however extended periods of distress is not ok (more about this below).
Where is reality vs perception?
Does someone have a proper reflection of reality? I’ve found that problems come from overestimating and underestimating. You want the most accurate reflection of reality possible.
You should have a view on where you are on the “Calm ⇔ Eustress ⇔ Distress” continuum.
I’ve found that some people are chronic either over or under estimators of stress.
Ie they constantly think the world is melting down and run around asking for help.
Ie they never ask for help, refusing to admit that anything could not be ok.
Try to be a pragmatist, aka ‘do what works’. Don’t attach yourself to an ideology. Try to attach yourself to reality… and to help others if they have an incorrect view of reality.
You need to get to where stress is coming from: Environment vs Others vs Yourself
Note: environment - not everyone is cut out for every environment. A place for everything and everything in its place. Sometimes the kitchen is just too hot for someone. So get out.
Ie you might think you want to do a job but the reality is you are not cut out for it.
If you believe you are in distress at work for more than ‘2 days to a week’ you need to tell someone. Not doing so it not ok.
‘Why 2 days to a week’?
I’ve found that I can get worked up about things from time to time… but that if they aren’t really important they fade quickly.
“Am I frustrated or am I experiencing frustration?” I now try ‘step back’ to look at whatever I’m experiencing and see what happens to it. If something is still kicking around after 2+ days it should definitely be addressed.
We are here to help each other, we are stronger as a team (see “Esteem Team”).
Humans are not mind readers. I don’t believe it can be expected that others will realise you are eg in destress without you saying so.
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of courage.
If you never ask for help you are not able to grow as much as you would be able to.
A manager needs to 80%+ of the time know 80%+ accurately how a direct report is feeling
What gets volunteered to a manager => This is relationship strength (however obviously you should have peer relationships as well, eg I’m saying manager here but doesn’t have to be)
Bad relationship => direct report volunteers nothing
Indifferent relationship => volunteers larges
Solid relationship => volunteer mediums+
Strong relationship => volunteer smalls+ (ie anything and everything… but remember don’t sweat the small things… and everything is a small thing)
What you can pick up from others => empathy capability
You should have a read of people (see “Empathy is built by practicing trying to understand others. You are not born good at empathizing.”
Taxonomy:
People who have no read => pick up nothing
People who have solid read => pick up larges
People who have strong read => pick up mediums+.
Picking up smalls isn’t possible!
Comment
By read on someone what I’m saying is that I can hopefully figure out that ‘something is up’, but generally don’t know ‘what is up’. Then I’ll ask the person ‘how is everything going?’ etc.
What can you do to help others? See “Push vs Support vs Intervene vs Leave alone”
A manager should be looking for what to do:
Push vs Support vs Intervene vs Leave alone
Intervene if reality is much worse than person believes AND after you have had repeated attempts to help
However the best people self regulate
For self
They have accurate self awareness
Have quality self regulation
Know when to ask for help AND what help to ask for (eg push me, eg support please)
For others
They are good at perspective taking and therefore accurately seeing what others are feeling
Are approachable
Good at empathizing (showing they understand and care)
Can help in a positive sum way (eg see “Positive Sum Pushback Approaches”)
Principle about when to Intervene
If we can confidently see the next 3 months will be ‘distress’ then it’s not optional that we will be taking something of your plate. “Stoicism to a fault is stupidity.” Not doing this is no good for you, no good for management and no good for the company.
“Be happy about the help, don’t hinder help!”
What is failure?
Success != delivering a project on time.
Success = knowing that delivering a project on time will cause too much stress and saying you need help / can’t get it done.
Success != getting a project done at quality with the same resourcing as other similar projects.
Success = knowing that you aren’t comfortable that you have this and that you want extra help.
Success = 1. Having a good plan (that you update appropriately) and 2. That you try to execute it with an appropriate amount of calm-eustress-distress.
Success = good inputs.
Success != some predetermined output.
As long as you have a Plan Z that is not death you shouldn’t stress.
Plan Z is sufficient if all goes to sh1t and we are still ok. Ie the worst outcome occurs and you / company / etc is not dead.
“Why having a Plan Z means you’ll never be dead.”
There is always always a creative solution out of whatever problem you are in.
100% of things are solvable…
… but the sooner you get onto something the easier it is to solve.
Eg sometimes you have to refund customers. I’ve had to do this.
Eg sometimes you have to shut down a product. I’ve had to do this.
Eg sometimes you need to renegotiate a contract and lower the amount you can pay someone so you don’t die. I’ve had to do this.
Eg sometimes you have promised you will do a project to someone but circumstances change and you can no longer make good on your promise despite best efforts. You have to break your promise. It sucks and it hurts. I’ve had to do this.
For Edrolo IMO there is a Plan Z for all mission critical parts of the business, no one says they are desired outcomes or will be fun, but we won’t die.
Operating in ‘distress’ means worse execuation than operating in ‘eustress’. If you are distressing on your current plan then you’ll do it much worse than if you aren’t. So having a Plan Z:
means no existential distress
means no distress on current plan (aka Plan A) and as such better execution on current plan.
Are you having a reasonable response. Eg small stimulus vs large response
Model
Stimulus
=> response
=> Plan A that is above sufficiency + Plan Z for what to do if everything goes to shit and things are ok.
=> sufficient+ action on Plan A
Comment
If Plan A is sufficient+, action for Plan A is sufficient+ and you have a Plan Z that survival+ then no matter the outcome you shouldn’t be distressing.
It doesn’t matter if Plan A doesn’t end well. If it’s not possible then and you had a good Plan A and executed well there was nothing more you could do.
However you should distress if no Plan B, if no plan at all, or if you have Plan A above sufficiency but are not executing above sufficiency.
Expanding your ‘eustress’ operating window
First of all is ‘expanding eustress operating window’ a good idea? All else equal the more responsibility one can handle the bigger the difference one can deliver to the world. So I’d argue yes it is.
‘expanding eustress operating window’ => building resilience.
You cultivate resilience like anything else.
For me, the first time I do something I’m not very good at it. Then hopefully I slowly get better.
So I’d bit off pieces of responsibility (not too much but also more than nothing). What might start as ‘100% of your eustress budget’ over time it goes down to ‘50% of eustress budget’ to ‘i can handle this in my sleep!’ Then put some more responsibility on your plate. And so the cycle continues… then one day you might have gone from an idea you work on in the nights to more than 100 employees!
If you bite off more than you can chew, please ask for help!
Onwards, with appropriate downside investigation and protection (Plan Z), and upwards!