Situation: Unusual situation

Hi, welcome to the nineteenth day of The Leads Intellectual challenge: a 30-dy challenge with Fatai Kareem. If you would like to know more about usual situation, read the eighteenth day challenge here.

Today, he will be discussing another type of situation known as unusual situation. How do you feel when you travel to a new place? How do you feel when there is a change? Why do get concerned when someone does not behave like before? Why do get disappointed? Why do you get surprised?

Well, understanding this situation will enable you to handle changes better. What is an unusual situation?

An unusual situation is a situation that is new or strange because it does not follow a familiar or usual pattern of occurrence. This is a situation that is different from what you are used to or familiar with, hence it influences you to find a new pattern of interacting with it. This may involve stress due to the need to understand or master how you can fit into the situation and cope with its effect. It may also make you misbehave or react in a strange manner.

This situation occurs due to a change in how what you are familiar with or expecting occurs. Therefore, exposing you to a new or strange situation in which you need to change your planned or usual action, and find a new action that is most suitable for the situation. It may make you to be overwhelmed or exhausted when you have to do more than you have expected to do, or planned. It may make you to feel lost, inadequate or innocent when you find it difficult to fit into the situation, or understand what is going on. You may have to withdraw from this situation when you can not cope with its effect or impact. This impact can be significant. If it is a positive one, it can result in happiness, excitement or surprise. Depression, frustration or disappointment can result from a negative one. 

At times, you resist this kind of situation because you are scared of the kind of effect it can have on you, or you are not ready to adopt and adapt to a new pattern of doing things or lifestyle. Likewise, you may feel like this kind of situation should occur because of the excitement or curiosity for a new experience. This can influence you to explore and try out new things, places, people or ideas. And this kind of situation can be desired when perceived to be a solution to a usual situation, which you find to be boring, outdated or problematic.

This situation can occur as a surprise, disappointment, good luck, bad luck, mystery, coincident, disruption, opportunity, threat, etc., depending on the kind of effect it has on you when it occurs. Expectation or plan variability can be used to define the kind of effect it has. When what happens is unexpected or unplanned, but comes with desired benefit or opportunity beyond your expectation, then you are likely to be surprised and happy. If this occurrence comes with undesired benefit or opportunity, you are likely to be unsatisfied. If this occurrence comes with little or no benefit or opportunity, you are likely to be disappointed. If this occurrence interrupts the success of what you are expected to do or what you have planned to achieve, then you consider it to be a threat. If this occurrence involves a loss, danger or disaster, then you consider it to be a calamity. When its occurrence can not be explained, you consider it to be a mystery.

This situation can occur due to coincidence. In this case, if its root cause is not well understood, it becomes a difficult problem to be solved, and it can lead to making a wrong decision or inference. Misinterpretation, misunderstanding, mismanagement or fallacy can result from this coincidence. Therefore, it is important to pay serious attention to the cause of the situation, in order to deal with it in the best or most appropriate manner. For instance, A kills B and runs away, but C is apprehended because he is the one with B. To C, this is an unusual situation, which he knows nothing about. Therefore, if proper investigation is not carried out, it is likely that C will be charged with murder case since he is the one with B.

Case study

1. XY can not find his wristwatch where he keeps it. BC tells him that she is not with the wristwatch when he asks her if she is with it. Unfortunately, he finds the wristwatch in a purse owns by BC. Meanwhile, he has forgotten that he is the one who puts it there without BC knowing. How will XY reacts to BC? How will BC reacts to XY?

2. Abx has a strong desire for investment management. She applies for the post of investment manager. She is offered the post of investment analyst. Is this what she expects? Will she be satisfied being an investment analyst rather than investment manager? How likely is she going to treat this offer?

3. Employees at XYZ company are not punctual and this is affecting the productivity of the company. In order to solve this problem, the manager wants to introduce digital clock card for attendance. However, the employees do not support this initiative. What do you think could have made the employees not to welcome the use of digital clock card for their attendance? How can the manager manage this crisis? How will this change impact XYZ company?

Disclaimer: All names used are for illustration purpose.

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