The Fine Art of Managing the Unexpected

By CIM National | Chartered Managers Canada

Because sometimes leadership is less about having all the answers and more about knowing what to do when the office coffee machine breaks.

There's a particular optimism that comes with starting a new workday - you've reviewed your calendar, prioritized your tasks, and perhaps even made a beautifully organized to-do list. Today, you tell yourself, will be productive. Then someone calls in sick, a client changes their mind, two colleagues have a disagreement over something that happened three weeks ago, and the printer decides it's had enough of corporate life.

It's 9:17 a.m. - welcome to management!

For all the books, courses, and leadership frameworks available to today's managers, there's remarkably little preparation for the sheer unpredictability of managing people, personalities, and competing priorities. We learn about strategic planning, organizational behaviour, and performance management, but the everyday reality often requires a completely different collection of skills. Fortunately, some of the most effective management practices are also surprisingly simple.

The Meeting That Could Have Been an Email (and the Email That Became a Meeting)

Few workplace experiences are quite as universal as attending a meeting to discuss scheduling another meeting.

Meetings are essential for collaboration, but somewhere along the way, many organizations have confused being busy with being productive. Calendars fill up, agendas become increasingly ambitious, and participants emerge with an impressive collection of action items and very little time to complete them. The solution isn't necessarily fewer meetings, but more intentional ones.

Before scheduling the next gathering, ask three questions:

• What decision needs to be made?
• Who actually needs to be involved?
• And could this be resolved through a short conversation or written update?

Try introducing a 15-minute decision meeting with one specific objective. If the issue requires discussion, make room for it. If it simply requires sharing information, consider giving everyone their time back. Your colleagues may not throw you a parade, but they'll probably appreciate it.

The Curious Case of the Urgent Everything

Every workplace has that one project that absolutely must be completed immediately. Until another project arrives that is somehow even more urgent. When everything is labelled a priority, nothing really is.

Managers often find themselves caught between competing demands from senior leadership, clients, colleagues, and their own teams. The temptation is to absorb the pressure, work longer hours, and somehow make everything happen. But effective prioritization isn't about doing everything faster - it's about making thoughtful decisions about what matters most.

One practical approach is to establish three clear priorities at the beginning of each week and communicate them openly. When something new arrives, discuss what needs to move to accommodate it. Instead of automatically saying yes, try asking, "We can certainly prioritize this. Which existing commitment should we adjust?"

It's a remarkably useful question, and one that encourages shared accountability rather than silent overload.

Managing People, Not Mind Readers

One of the great mysteries of workplace communication is how two people can leave the same conversation with completely different understandings of what was agreed upon:

A manager says, "Let's get this done soon." One employee hears "by the end of today." Another interprets it as "sometime next week." A third assumes someone else is handling it. By Friday, everyone is confused, and the manager is wondering why nothing has happened. Clear communication may not be glamorous, but it's one of the most underrated leadership skills.

Replace vague instructions with specific expectations. Define what success looks like, establish realistic deadlines, and confirm who's responsible for what. A simple follow-up message summarizing decisions and next steps can prevent hours of unnecessary frustration. And remember, asking someone to repeat their understanding of a task isn't micromanagement when it's done respectfully. It's making sure everyone is working from the same map.

The Manager Is Not the Office Superhero

There's an unspoken expectation in some workplaces that a good manager should be able to solve every problem, answer every question, settle every disagreement, and remain endlessly available. Preferably while smiling.

But managers aren't superheroes, and attempting to become one usually results in exhaustion rather than excellence. Strong leadership means knowing when to step in and when to step aside. It means trusting employees to exercise judgement, make decisions, and occasionally make mistakes without treating every setback as a crisis.

The next time someone brings you a problem, resist the urge to immediately provide the solution. Instead, ask, "What do you think we should do?" You might discover that your team already has some excellent ideas. More importantly, you're helping develop their confidence and problem-solving abilities. And, as a bonus, you may eventually get to finish your own work.

Sometimes the Best Management Tool Is a Sense of Humour

Workplaces are full of contradictions: we encourage innovation but sometimes resist change;  we promote collaboration while filling everyone's calendars; we ask employees to take initiative, then occasionally insist they follow a seventeen-step approval process to order stationery. It's easy to become frustrated by these inconsistencies, but a little humour can help us maintain perspective.

That doesn't mean making light of genuine workplace concerns or dismissing someone's frustrations. Rather, it's about recognizing that not every inconvenience needs to become a catastrophe. A manager who can acknowledge an absurd situation, laugh at their own mistakes, and approach setbacks with curiosity rather than blame creates space for others to do the same.

Humour, when used thoughtfully, can reduce tension, strengthen relationships, and remind everyone that we're human beings working together, not perfectly calibrated productivity machines.

The Art of Being Human

Ultimately, good management isn't about having a flawless schedule, an empty inbox, or a solution to every problem. It's about creating an environment where people know what's expected, feel comfortable asking questions, have room to contribute, and trust that challenges can be worked through together. Some days, that will involve thoughtful strategic decisions and inspiring conversations. Other days, it will mean resolving a misunderstanding, adjusting a deadline, or helping someone find the missing conference-room adapter. Both are part of the job. 

So the next time your carefully planned day goes completely off the rails, remember that management has always been a little unpredictable. The goal isn't to eliminate every surprise, but to build the confidence, flexibility, and good humour to navigate them. And if all else fails, there's always tomorrow's to-do list.

Assuming the printer cooperates.