Situation: Usual situation

Hi, welcome to the eighteenth day of The Leads Intellectual challenge: a 30-day challenge with Fatai Kareem. If you would like to know how you can apply regulatory situation to achieve some goals, read the seventeenth day challenge here.

Today, he will be discussing another type of situation known as usual situation. Why is possible for you to tell how likely something can happen? Why do you tend to make inference based on your past experience? Why do you avoid something from happening again? Why do you wish something happen again? Why is seasonality important to business?

Well, understanding usual situation will enable you to get a clear picture of how past or historical events affect present and future events. What is usual situation?

Usual situation is a situation that occurs in a familiar or similar manner. It follows a familiar, similar or expected pattern of occurrence, hence it is not strange. It can be predicted based on how it does happen, and its effect can be anticipated and be prepared for.

This is a situation you interact with without being much disturbed about what can happen if you do what you want to do because you can infer from the past what is likely going to happen. So, you interact with it without much fear of unexpected outcome unless the expected outcome is outrageous and you are scared of it happening again. You can compare your ability and capability with the effect the situation is likely to have on you, and determine how you can most likely cope with the situation. Therefore, you can consider yourself to be experienced, confident, addicted, inadequate, coward, etc.

This situation is usually a product of historical or past events. It usually relates to what has happened or has been happening in the past. Therefore, it aids analysis, forecasting and projection. It also aids comparison of the past performance or event with the present one. This can serve as a basis of planning for the future. Also, it aids making sound decision based on the insight gained from its occurrence and analysis. This is made possible by keeping a record of its occurrence, and subject it to analysis to understand how likely it can repeat itself in the future and the risk or opportunity involved.

Usual situation can be historical, recurring, reoccurring, habitual, or seasonal. Its effect can be desirable or undesirable. When its effect is desirable, it means that it occurred in the past with some benefits or advantages, hence it is desired to occur again. When its effect is undesirable, it means that it occurred in the past with some forms of problem, hence it is not wanted to occur again. This follows the principle of protective and preventive rule of situation. Positive attitude, emotions and behaviour are exhibited toward the desirable situation. This can be in form of excitement, rejoice, or hope that it will happen again and the desire to protect it, so that it can last longer. While negative attitude, emotions and behaviour are exhibited toward the undesirable situation. This can be in form of fear, depression, worry or hatred that it will happen again and the desire to prevent it, so that it does not happen.

This situation may involve conclusive propensity of assumption, a concept proposed by Fatai Kareem, that states that a person is likely to assume and conclude that something is true or likely to occur when it is associated or attributed to a similar or known condition. That is, when a situation occurs and it is similar to one you have encountered before, you are likely to make an inference about the situation based on the previous one. For example, if you have seen where someone that sneezes is tested to be covid-19 positive. If you are with another person and the person sneezes, you are likely to assume that the person is also having covid-19 due to your previous experience. If the person is actually suffering from covid-19, then your assumption is affirmed. If you see another person sneezing, then you are likely to conclude that the person is also suffering from covid-19. 

This concept of conclusive propensity of assumption influences how you are likely going to react or treat a situation based on the previous experience. It has motive effect on you when previous experience was good. Hence, it influences you to assume that the next experience is likely going to be good as well. If this happens, then you are likely to conclude that other similar situations are likely going to be good, and seek such situations. However, if previous experience was bad, it has withdrawal effect on you. Hence, it influences you to assume that the next experience is likely going to be bad as well. If this happens, then you are likely to conclude that other similar situations are likely going to be bad, and avoid such situations. Hence, resulting into expectation-experience cycle such that you are expecting to have a similar experience from a similar situation. Thus, it is strongly advised that quality products, services and customer experience are provided, and good interpersonal relationship is maintained with other people.

Case study

1. Gbade buys X product with the hope that he will use it for two years. Unfortunately, the product stops working after two months of use. He assumes that it maybe due to his own fault. He buys this product again hoping that it will last longer. The same thing repeats itself. How likely is he going to buy the product again?

2. GHZBC Ltd analyses its data and discovers that product A usually sells in January, February and June; product B in March and September; and product C in April, May and December. Other months, these products fairly sell. Of what importance is this result to GHZBC Ltd?

3. Area A had encountered an outrageous outbreak of disease, which claimed many lives. Recently, similar situation is coming up. Will it be allowed to occur again? How likely are the residents of Area A going to handle the situation?

Disclaimer: All names used are for illustration purpose.

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