Thriving Under Pressure
Why Experimentation Changes Everything
The Moment Everything Fell Apart
You ever have one of those days where nothing goes right? Where you walk into work, and before you can even get settled, someone’s already hitting you with a “We’ve got a problem”?
That was me, years ago, working in retail sales management. Our tailor came in and told my assistant manager there was no way we could finish all the work we had promised that day.
So we did a quick audit. And the numbers didn’t lie. Even if we had two full-time tailors working nonstop, we still wouldn’t finish everything on time.
We had two major issues:
- How do we deal with today’s mess?
- How do we stop this from happening again?
That first part? Not fun. We had to start calling customers, telling them their orders wouldn’t be ready. Some were understanding. Some… not so much. If you’ve ever worked in customer service, you already know.
But after we put out the immediate fire, we had to ask ourselves: How do we make sure this never happens again?
Why This Matters
Most people freeze up under pressure. Or they just push forward, hoping to figure it out as they go. But here’s the thing—hope is not a strategy.
Instead of panicking, we took a step back and started experimenting.
At first, we had the opening manager do a quick tailoring count every morning. Simple, right? Except it wasn’t consistent. Some days it happened, some days it didn’t.
So we tweaked it.
📊 We built a simple tracking system. Each morning, the opening manager had to record total tailoring minutes.
📆 We made it a habit. Every single day, no exceptions.
📈 We refined it over time. Made a few changes until it became second nature.
Within a couple of months, that daily system eliminated last-minute surprises completely.
Always Be Experimenting (A.B.E.)
This whole process taught me one of my favorite strategies: Always Be Experimenting.
People get stuck because they think they need to get it perfect the first time. But that’s not how this works.
You try something.
You see what happens.
You tweak it.
You try again.
That’s how progress happens.
It works in sales. It works in leadership. It works in every part of life.
How You Can Use This Right Now
🚀 Want to close more sales? Try tweaking your pitch. Test new wording. See what works.
🚀 Trying to build better habits? Experiment with when, where, and how you do them.
🚀 Feeling stuck in a job? Start making small shifts—new skills, new conversations, new approaches.
Everything in life is an experiment. The only way you fail is if you stop trying.
Final Thought: Pressure is a Test—So Run the Experiment
Next time you feel overwhelmed, don’t freeze up. Don’t wait for the perfect plan.
Just try something.
Because pressure isn’t the problem. It’s the opportunity.