Not too long ago, I was dealing with a problem. Not just any problem, but a major, big-mother of a problem. As I sat in my office, pulling what little hair I had left out, a very calm executive stood at my door and, knowing what I was dealing with, said “A mentor once told me ‘you should never waste a good crisis.’” It was sound advice, and given that it seems in my profession there is no shortage of crises I have tried to apply it as often as possible.

I liken this advice to the first habit of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Be Proactive. When the world gives you a nice backhand right across the face, you can bemoan it and wonder what you are going to do, or you can say “OK, gas is a gazillion dollars a gallon, I think I will buy a motorcycle – they get better mileage.” So, being the attentive, proactive reader you are you inform your spouse of this decision, only to be told that your bicycle uses no gas and that you need the exercise. At this point, you realize that sometimes being proactive means keeping your pie hole shut.

OK, so maybe you don’t take my advice on the gas front. But the point is still real: sometimes a nasty hit can knock you off center. Say for example, that your top producer leaves for a better job – take the time to not only fix the problem but make it better. Maybe they stay, or maybe they don’t. If they don’t – see it as an opportunity to try and upgrade the position. Or evaluate the workload within the department and make some shifts. Open up opportunities for others. Or maybe it opens your eyes to the need to do some cross-training within the team. Sucks for you that it came at the cost of great talent, but if it opens up three solid producers, your net gain in the long haul will likely be a net positive. Sometimes these crises are all we need to motivate us to move forward on whatever it is that we have needed to do for a while.

If you see these things not as a kick in the teeth, but as a kick in the pants, you are far more likely to come out of them at the end in better shape than when you went in.

Now, if you will excuse me, the front tire on my bicycle is low on air.