Have you ever been trapped? Confined somewhere against your will, whether intentionally or unintentionally? And with no where to turn? It is quite an experience to go through something like that. When that does happen, can we learn anything from it?
A Locked Door. The place was Windham, Maine, around the mid 1980s. I was working for a financial planning company. One afternoon, I was the last to leave the office so I had to lock up. After turning off machinery and the lights, I opened the door—making sure the doorknob was in a locked position—and closed the door behind me. A small entryway was between the office and the building’s outer glass door.
Trapped. So, I walked out of the office and locked the door. I walked to the glass door to leave the building. But the door would not open. It had a double-cylinder deadbolt that could only be locked and unlocked with a key. My employer had locked it when he left, forgetting that I did not have a key.
How would I get out? We didn’t have cell phones at that time. No one was near the building. There I was. Standing in this little area. No key to unlock the glass door, and no key to unlock the office to call my employer. The sun was on the east side and shining through the door. The temperature was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
This experience lasted approximately 45 minutes. A very long 45 minutes.
I banged on the glass and yelled when I saw anyone approaching. Eventually I got someone’s attention. She called my employer who came to the office to let me out.
So, can we learn anything from this?
- Leadership is a lot like life. How you react to difficult circumstances can be revealing. How do you respond? How do you treat other people during tough moments? In my scenario, at first I couldn’t believe what had happened. Then, panic started to set in—which evolved into a strong desire to get out!
- Leadership is about finding another way. I had reached a dead-end. I was trapped. I could not go anywhere, nor could I call anyone. I looked for another way to get out. At first, I thought maybe I could break the glass. Didn’t work. Then I started banging on the glass and yelling. That led to my rescue. When it looks like you maybe trapped in a situation, do you find look for another way out, or to resolve it?
- Leadership is about persevering. I could have sat there and done nothing. Resigned myself to the fact I would be trapped there for hours, maybe overnight. But I started to make a commotion. Granted, the yelling was somewhat muffled, but I would not stop trying until I caught someone’s attention. Have you thought about giving up? Resign yourself to a bad situation? Perseverance is key to leadership.
I hope I never repeat that experience. However, the lessons are good reminders about leadership.
What are your thoughts? I welcome your comments.