Thursday, August 26, 2010

Max headroom.

Duck!

You're doing your day, taking care of the to-do list, and just when you think you have it all under control - whack! Something unexpected hits you.

I've been planning six different special events and discovered that some very critical information was not shared in the beginning. Which means starting over and changing several of the plans. I don't like do-overs. I like to gather facts, plan ahead, anticipate every possible contingency, leave room for changes and mistakes, and finish early. (I overprepare all the time.)

Major segue alert: the blog post title reminded me of something.

Does anyone remember Max Headroom? He had a brief life in the 1980's. Essentially, he offered a cautionary warning about the way television and big corporations could take over our culture ... and our thoughts and our lives. Rather prescient, as it turns out, since what we think too often comes at the speed of the internet and the spin masters.

Okay, back to getting blindsided.

My takeaway from having to re-do something as important as a special event is that I need to factor a do-over in my timelines. But is planning for trouble a self-fulfilling prophecy?

Hmmmm.

2 comments:

  1. I can relate to this SO much! I am currently trying to arrange a meeting with two other people, to plan 10 public outreach events that one of the two people has proposed. No one thinks we need to meet; apparently these events will just plan, organize, promote, and conduct themselves. But guess who will be held responsible if - by some crazy chance - they don't? Grrrr.

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  2. And THAT's why I overprepare. If I make a mistake, I'll own it. But I really, really don't like to take the blame for things out of my control. (Sometimes you have to anyway as the head cheese, but it isn't pleasant!)

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