For most of the year you'd usually expect to see a bee in the borders buzzing between the plants. In July however the bees are not where you'd expect them to be and are under foot as they feed on the flower clover in the grass.

Which is why 10th July is don't step on a bee day inviting us to more consciously attend to our actions in order to deal with the unexpected.

The unexpected is something I feel very comfortable with - I'd even say I've gone out of my way to uncover tools that help us deal with the unexpected.

In a webinar developed during lockdown 2020 for the unprecedented that we were facing I shared seven tools to manage the unexpected:

1. Manage mind, body and emotions
2. Embrace new perspectives by shifting logical thinking
3. Expand options using metaphorical thinking
4. Change mindset using metaphorical imagining
5. Expand knowledge using gorgeous tools
6. Uncover solutions using unconventional tools
7. Find joy with one action

I think the aspect that never fails to make people think is "the map is not the territory"

It can certainly takes some time for us to fully accept that our perception of what's happening in the world is simply that - a perception - our personal interpretation.

I know when I first fully understood this belief in 2000 my stakeholder said I was easier to deal with, and yet I thought they were too.

Instead of expressing my own opinion as fact I started to share my opinions as my understanding of the current situation. This allowed the other person to not feel I was invalidating their perception of the situation.

Although the stand in their shoes demonstration was also very insightful.

Do get in touch if you'd like to find out more about how I could help your team find joy in the unexpected.