Managing unpredictability: 5 lessons from a safari

The unpredictable nature of a safari underscores the importance of flexibility in both travel and business, writes Larry Ackerman, the president of The Identity Circle, who highlights how being agile and having a Plan B can help organizations adapt to unexpected challenges, such as market shifts or operational setbacks, much like changing a flat tire while surrounded by wild animals. "Anticipate the problem. Be agile. Be swift," Ackerman advises.

Put it into practice: On a safari, much like in business, there is no GPS telling you how to get to your destination, which means it's easy to get lost, Ackerman writes. "'Getting found' calls for calm nerves and strategic discipline. It also calls for faith and fortitude as counterweights to the uncertainty these moments bring."

Managing disagreements across power structures requires a strategic approach to foster understanding and collaboration, writes consultant Marlene Chism, who emphasizes the importance of challenging ideas without invalidating others. By asking thoughtful questions like "Would you be willing to be challenged?" or "Would you be willing to hear another point of view?", you can navigate tensions constructively and avoid conflict.

Put it into practice: Show your boss you want to understand their decision by asking how they arrived at their conclusion and whether there can be exceptions or a delay to consider other options further, Chism advises. "Avoid suggesting a delay simply because you disagree. Ensure your request feels purposeful and tied to a clear benefit for the team or project."

Before you write another word of your next speech or presentation, talk out the main points you want to make since often how you speak is far more persuasive and engaging than how you write, public speaking coach Gary Genard writes. "When something sounds the way you want it to concerning your audience's probable response (intellectually and emotionally), then write it down. By the time you finish this process, you'll have a speech that will almost without any doubt succeed in the oral arena," Genard advises.

Put it into practice: Mapping out the content details of your speech or presentation is less important than standing up and rehearsing it because the audience will be focusing on you as well as what you say, Genard writes. "So your ability to be comfortable, make eye contact, establish rapport, and most of all, to give a physical dimension to what you're saying through body language, is actually the essence of the public speaking situation."

Help your people access resources. It's encouraging to read that 94% of you refer employees facing mental health issues to resources that can help them. If they're coming to you and sharing that they're having trouble, step up and help them. Overcoming the fear and stigma of admitting you're facing a mental health issue is a tremendous step forward for someone and often a cry for help.

For the 6% of you turning these people away or ignoring them, you could be reinforcing the stigma around mental health issues. The least you can do is refer them to a human resources colleague who will usually have immediate access to resources that can help the person.

Mental health issues are no joke and they can carry life-threatening consequences if they're not addressed. You owe it to your people to help them find the assistance they're seeking.

-- Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS, which includes TITAN -- the firm's e-learning platform. Previously, he worked at McKinsey & Co., Capital One and Scotts Miracle-Gro. He is a West Point graduate and author of three leadership books: "One Piece of Paper," "Lead Inside the Box" and "The Elegant Pitch."

Being scapegoated at work can be isolating and unfair, but Karin Hurt and David Dye suggest using empathetic and solution-focused phrases such as "What I'm hearing you say is ..." and "I'm curious how this looks from your perspective" to help clarify roles and defuse tension. You can prevent being blamed for something in the future by documenting your work, building strong relationships with colleagues and advocating for clear team roles to avoid misunderstandings.

CEOs and board directors should work together on change management initiatives, according to a report from Spencer Stuart which also found 78% of respondents rating business uncertainty as high. "Understand and engage the board in change management, leveraging their expertise to encourage questions on strategy and risk that inform the enterprise and create value," Spencer Stuart said.

Researchers have uncovered the intricate manufacturing process of the Nebra Sky Disc, a Bronze Age artifact believed to be the oldest representation of the sky, according to a study in Scientific Reports. The study revealed that the disc was made through approximately ten cycles of heating and forging, highlighting the advanced metalworking skills of its creators.

After 20 years as a pastor, I have written and delivered hundreds (maybe thousands?) of sermons. I have written every single one of them. I know pastors who speak from notes -- or none at all! That's something that I have told myself I cannot do, but one day, I challenged myself.

Sometimes, to give myself a break, I would recycle a sermon from years earlier  (usually, no one in the current crowd had heard it). One Sunday, though, I offered the congregation a choice. I could give the prepared recycled sermon, or someone could open up the text we were using and read a passage at random, and I would preach on that extemporaneously. You don't have to think too hard to guess which option they chose. I wondered if they wanted to see me fail!

Interestingly, it was one of the best sermons I ever preached. It was a lesson for me to trust not just my knowledge and public speaking skills but also my voice. I have a transcript of that sermon (thanks, AI), and my speaking and writing voices are very different. If the congregation's reaction is accurate, my spontaneous speaking voice is just as good as my writing voice!

As Gary Genard recommends, speaking your next presentation before you write it down may produce some of your best work. You can record what you say and use AI to transcribe it, which can give you a basis to write either a full script, provide material for a deck or a set of notes to speak from.

What I discovered on that Sunday was that when I trust the knowledge and skills I possess, I produce something that I  probably could never capture on paper. What comes out in those moments isn't just your skill; it's your heart, your authentic self, which has a way of connecting with an audience that words on paper cannot do.

Try Genard's method the next time you have to give a presentation or speech. Show yourself that you have the knowledge and skills needed to connect to your audience on a whole new level.

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