Yes, that’s me…the very bad consultant.
Hmmm, that’s odd…
…I thought that when I loaded my bag onto the conveyor belt, it seemed so much lighter than normal.
I shrugged it off because I packed my suitcase the night before, and I remembered being really diligent about making sure I had the right amount of clothes for an in person training session.
I pulled my bags from the other side and made my way to find some new socks at the sock emporium.
I picked out a few new pairs of socks and meandered to the bookstore. It was just another day at DIA.
I never arrive early at the airport.
However, with all the news about TSA, I got there early enough to grab a book and some socks and went to get a beer.
That’s when I opened my backpack to find it empty. No computer. And then sheer panic.
For years, I prided myself on being a person who prepared for my work, meetings, trainings, and speeches.
I practice training, speeches, and even meetings before I perform.
I will sit in front of my computer and time myself down to the minute, rehearsing specific statements and lines to make sure they land at the right moment.
I create checklists, desk aids, and job aids for a living and use them all the time in my personal life.
But I still forgot my computer.
There are positives to this situation.
I’ve performed this training more than 500 times and have trained more than 30,000 people.
So—I can run a training without my deck, and I am sure I can do it using just the handout.
But without my machine, I won’t be able to show additional examples and videos.
Knowing that, I begged my client to let me use a loaner and connect it to the internet.
This self-deprecating situation is a perfect example of “things happen.”
Sometimes you need to adapt and run a training without the perfect environment and perfect equipment.
The room is never right, the slides sometimes break, and the internet connections fail time and time again.
Don’t fret.
The training went off without a hitch.
The participants offered me some grace and the vulnerability of forgetting something…even though you teach how to avoid it…built some trust.
But the next time I travel, this little trick should do the job.
Interested in learning more about how Change Agents Training can help solve problems in your workforce? Drop me a line here.
P.S. Interested in learning about my new company, rvrwrk (River Work)? Drop me a line here, or even better, shoot me a reply to this email.
P.P.S. April 2026 soundtrack (courtesy of Yugs):
- I Left My Wallet In El Segundo – A Tribe Called Quest (AKA I Left My Computer In Denver, Colorado)