As a sports fan, I love to speculate about what’s happening during a game. Whether it’s baseball, basketball, or football, I become an armchair coach the second something goes wrong. I’m sitting on my couch, wondering why a player made a certain decision, why the coach called that play, or why they didn’t do the obvious thing that everyone at home seems to be yelling about.
It’s easy to second-guess every decision when you’re watching from the outside. One bad play turns into a debate. One coaching decision turns into a conspiracy. Before long, my blood pressure is climbing as I try to figure out what the hell is going on.
The funny thing is that the people making those decisions have access to information I don’t. They know who’s hurt, who’s exhausted, what adjustments were made at halftime, what they’re seeing on the field, and what they’re trying to accomplish three plays from now.
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What it all means is that it’s a giant waste of energy for me to sit around and second-guess every little decision or moment when I don’t have access to the information, nor do I have the ability to make any impact on what’s going on.
I’ve been here in my career several times, too.
I’ve been inside companies when things start getting weird. I’ve been inside departments when teams are in disarray: doors are shut, decisions are made without all the information, without any information, and decisions aren’t communicated. I’ve seen beloved Executives get walked out the door in these times, and I’ve seen disliked people get promoted in these moments.
Companies are living, breathing organisms. They’re always expanding and contracting in various ways. They go through good times and bad, and often they have no rhyme or reason.
Which is my long way of saying you shouldn’t sit around speculating about what the hell is happening as it’s happening.
“Focus on what you can control, and avoid putting energy into things happening in the backrooms.”
I know, easier said than done, because I’ve gotten caught up in the middle of the drama many times. I’ve speculated. I’ve stressed out over what’s happening. I’ve questioned and second-guessed until the “Re-org Announcement” email came out.
It was a giant waste of my time and energy, and I don’t recommend anyone do it.
If you think it could impact your role, prepare accordingly by controlling your networking opportunities, job applications, and mindset. Those are things you can influence. The conversations happening behind closed doors are not.
The reality is that you’re trying to understand a game while sitting in the stands. You don’t have access to the boardroom, the financials, the strategy discussions, the investor meetings, or the countless variables that are driving decisions. You’re seeing the outcome, not the process that produced it.
Focus on becoming the person who can land on their feet no matter what happens next. If the company thrives, you’ll be ready. If the company struggles, you’ll be ready. If a reorganization comes, you’ll be ready. The people who navigate uncertainty the best aren’t the ones who correctly predict every move the company makes. They’re the ones who spend their energy preparing for whatever move comes next.