Respond - Win. React - Lose.

I first noticed the respond vs. react juxtaposition in an Aikido class. Lynn Sensei kept saying, you must respond, not react.

When you flinch, recoil or push back you’ve reacted. Do this and you’ve lost control. Yet if you step off the line, keep your extension and blend with the energy you’ve responded and maintained control.

In an unstable economy companies make decision to either react or respond. Reacting by canceling a meeting might seem like control but it sends the exact opposite message. The organization’s shift to panic mode with sweeping budget cuts leaves a damaging effect. Companies canceling meetings is a huge mistake!

It’s better to respond. Economize the budget but maintain control. Bring your team together under more austere terms and motivate them to rally around the challenge. Lead by example. Prove that you are in control and responding to the situation.

We face choices of reacting or responding everyday.

Look at leaders, teachers, customer service representatives, parents, teenagers, spouses, newspaper editors - anyone with a pulse. Evidence of reacting versus responding is quickly evident.

One time I was speaking to a group and there was an interpreter for the handful of hearing impaired people in the hall. If you’re hearing impaired… FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED. (sorry, couldn’t help it…) She was lower and off to my right, yet still visible to all 1,000 people in the room.

For some speakers this might be distracting. A reaction would be to move further away on the platform or comment on how distracted you are.

As you know, my filterless dorkiness is always waiting for a chance to jump in and play. In mid sentence I turned to the interpreter and said, “Shmur, shmur, shmur.” The interpreter stared straight ahead and made a rubbing action with her hands.

I jumped in and said, “Cool, this means shmur.” Then I said, “Oogada boogada.”

All eyes shifted to the interpreter who continued to stare straight. She then proceeded to hold her index finger towards the right side of her head and rotate said finger in a clockwise fashion (a.k.a. the international sign for cuckoo). She glanced sideways with a knowing grin.

The place erupted in laughter. The playful interchange was a dance of responding as opposed to a reactionary tussle. She stepped off the line, blended with the energy and continued on with her job.

What stuff in your organization or personal life is pushing you to react? Take a moment to think of a response that keeps you in control of the situation.

Response keeps the pace up. Reaction grinds things down to an agonizing stop.

When you respond you win. When you react you lose.

This blog is posted for those of you who want to react or respond.

Comments

[nudge]

Unable...to...avoid...responding......despite.........furious......efforts.....
Thanks, Vince.

And yes, i am going to respond to your request for a callback.