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On the Tail of a Comet
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All rights reserved
By Debra Miller
Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc.
Are you able to
predict your day to day activities with unerring accuracy? Can you forecast
the outcome of every business venture? If you are like most of us, the
answer to both of these questions is “no”. Many of us are feeling higher
levels of uncertainty than ever before. In fact, current economic
conditions combine to make uncertainty part of our daily lives. The unknown
is greater than the known.
When Halley’s Comet
appeared in 1910, it created quite a commotion. It was named for Edmond
Halley, the British astronomer who first correctly predicted its period of
revolution. The comet had last appeared in 1835 and its emergence was
highly anticipated. American author and humorist, Mark Twain, wrote in
1909, “I came in with Halley’s Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year,
and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my
life if I don’t go out with Halley’s Comet.”
Prior to 1910, there
was no photographic evidence of the comet’s previous trips through our solar
system . . . no media coverage to tell us what we were seeing or how we
should feel about it. Further, given the relatively small population of the
United States and short life expectancies in 1835, few US citizens who had
viewed that year’s appearance were alive to witness the 1910 apparition.
With so little
information, it must have truly amazed and frightened. Comets weren’t a new
phenomenon; they had been noted since antiquity with written records of
Comet Halley dating to 468 BC. However, the 1910 appearance was
particularly spectacular. Its eccentric orbit brought the comet so close to
the earth at perihelion, or closest distance, that our home planet passed
through a portion of the comet’s 24 million mile tail. Speculations ran
wild; predicted outcomes ranged from long-term famine to poison gas
fallout. Hysteria abounded as people tried to make sense of what they were
seeing. Special church services were held; some believed the comet would
collide with the earth and signaled the end of time.
Thanks to modern
space exploration, we know today that comets are nothing more than a cosmic
iceberg; a dirty snowball revolving in the solar system. They are composed
of dust and moisture believed to be remnants from the creation of the solar
system. It’s almost comical when we read about the irrational reactions to
the 1910 appearance of Comet Halley. Yet they are not substantively
different from other reactions to previously unknown events.
How do you react to
an unfamiliar event or to uncertain outcomes? Are you prepared to deal with
uncertainty until more information becomes known? Or does your life become
chaotic, disjointed or fearful? As human beings, one of our greatest needs
is to make sense of the world around us. When our world is jarred off
course, we work to return it to some semblance of known order and protocol.
In spite of our advanced knowledge and technological sophistication, when we
can’t make things “fit”, we often respond with anxiety and fear. It’s a
common and normal response.
Dealing with
uncertainty and ambiguity can be a challenge. Humans are most comfortable
when we have information. But full and complete information is a luxury in
today’s world. Learn to accept that some things in your professional life
will be unclear. Don’t conclude your organization and its leadership team
is withholding information; they don’t have all the answers either. Be
patient until the period of uncertainty diminishes. Remain neutral and
open to positive possibilities. The day will come when you are able to move
beyond the unknown. Keep in mind that “unknown” does not equal “danger”.
Life can be a
wondrous adventure filled with new and different experiences. Mark Twain’s
was certainly such a life. He died April 21, 1910, one day after the
comet’s perihelion.
Learn to ride the tail
of the comet. You might find you enjoy the journey.
For more information about
Ken Chapman and Associates’ Leadership Development Programs, contact Ken
Chapman at 205.366.0265 or email Ken at
kchapman@leaderscode.com.
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