This week took me to Nashville – Clarksville, TN to be exact. Over a 48-hour whirlwind, I facilitated training with executive, leadership, and rising leadership teams, keynote a luncheon, and threw in a book signing. 💫
And somewhere between the boardroom and the boarding gate, I got a very clear reminder:
👉 Not all plan changes are created equal.
Sometimes, deviating from the plan is exactly what you’re supposed to do.
Other times… it almost leaves you stranded in an airport arguing about someone’s KPI. 😅
Here’s what that looked like — and what it might mean for your Sunday Scaries.
1️⃣ The Plan Is Only as Good as the Room
I walked into the executive and leadership training with a clear plan on how to facilitate discussions and team-building based on the needs.
It was a great plan. Structured. Thoughtful. Dialed in. Based on real survey data taken from the team before I stepped into the room.
And within the first hours of conversation, I could tell:
👉 This group needed something different.
So I adjusted in real time.
Half of my planned activities went out the window as I followed the needs and dynamics instead of forcing what I had prepared.
And it worked. I saw some of the most powerful connections I’ve ever seen from a leadership team, and it left all of us fulfilled and hopeful about what’s to come.
💡 Lesson: A plan should serve the room — not the other way around.
2️⃣ Presence Beats Perfection
No one in that room knew what was “supposed” to happen next.
Only I did.
Of course, that creates anxiety for a willing participant who doesn’t quite know what they’re in for, it also meant I had a choice:
Stick to the script and miss the moment… or trust myself and adapt.
💡 Lesson: People respond to presence, not perfection.
3️⃣ Shoot Your Shot
When I first confirmed this trip, I reached out to a local bookstore on a bit of a whim to see if they’d be open to hosting a book signing.
There was no big strategy here. Just an email to say “hey, this author you know nothing about is in town…wanna have a signing.”
Much to my surprise the answer was yes!
👉 And it turned into one of the best parts of the trip.
Not just because a few people showed up and bought books (which was awesome), but because I made a connection with the owner that will absolutely go somewhere in the future.
What started as “why not?” became something meaningful.
💡 Lesson: You don’t need a perfect plan to create opportunity. Sometimes you just need to ask.
4️⃣ Not Every Opportunity Is an Upgrade
And then it was time to head home… and that’s where things got interesting. 😵💫
I was up at O-Dark-Thirty for a 7am flight out of Nashville, which meant I was thrilled when we landed in Denver early enough for me to hop on an earlier flight up to my little mountain airport.
Woo hoo for not sitting around DIA for two hours.
Efficient. Strategic. Winning.
…until it wasn’t.
💡 Lesson: Just because something looks like a shortcut doesn’t mean it’ll get you there faster.
5️⃣ Plans Break Differently in the Wild
The earlier flight?
😩 Delayed. Maintenance issue.
Not only was my “get home early” plan in peril, but I also ended up just sitting on a plane for eight straight hours (like, could have been in Paris by now), which meant completely wasted time where I couldn’t even catch up on emails!
But that’s not even where it gets interesting.
The delay lasted long enough that the original flight was looking like a better option, so I switched.
Which should have been simple.
(It was not.)
💡 Lesson: The more variables involved, the more fragile your plan becomes.
6️⃣ Systems Don’t Always See Humans
I got to the gate for the original (later but probably now earlier flight 😜) with about two minutes to spare only to be told they couldn’t seat me because of some system issue.
Cue a slightly intense conversation with a gate agent who informed me this would affect her KPI.
😐
TL;DR – A lot of begging finally got me on that plane, which did land 10 minutes earlier than the “earlier” flight. Let’s forget the fact that I lost at least 20 minutes off my life from the stress, so you can decide whether it worked out in my favor or not. 🤣
💡 Lesson: Not every system is built with humanity in mind.
7️⃣ The Best Plan Is the One You Can Recover From
I am home. All good, extra gray hairs and all.
But it was a great reminder:
The goal isn’t to have a perfect plan.
It’s to have one you can adapt, recover, and move through when things inevitably shift.
💡 Lesson: Resilience isn’t about sticking to the plan. It’s about staying in motion when the plan changes.
This week wasn’t about executing perfectly.
It was about knowing when to lead, when to adjust, and when to fight your way back onto a plane. 😆
👉 So as you head into the week, ask yourself:
Where do I need to stick to the plan?
And where might I need to let it go?
Your Friend and Coach,
Angie
