Now, it’s embarrassing to admit, but I take my own teabags with me whenever I travel abroad. Not only do I hate the ubiquitous presence of Liptons (who have conned the world into thinking that’s actually tea), I don’t like change. However, for work, change is something we need to be open to. And keeping an open mind is a good intention to have when you’re in charge for the day and need to keep your cool.
Last week, I was moderating a daylong event, for the Association for Professional Sales. I checked in with the organiser, nice and early – my script and schedule in hand.
She told me that one of the morning’s speakers would be turning up late – and would miss his slot. Which meant a swift rescheduling of my running order and a quick scan of my script, to change my references to that speaker, and re-point how I introduce the others.
Now, had I been all ‘I can’t live without my own teabags’ and inflexible, I’d have added stress to my day where none was required. However, I bossed it – and all was well with the world.