The period of time between a stimulus and the related response is called gap time.

What happens during that gap depends on you.

For example, in a boxing ring, if your opponent attempts to punch you in the head with a left hook you either:

1. Freeze and maybe fling your hands up to protect your head if you don’t have any boxing training, or
2. Duck and lean to your left slipping the punch while delivering a right cross to his mid-section, or
3. You choose to lean to your right and counter your opponent’s left hook with a jab to his mid-section.

In the first option, you react based on your self-preservation instincts. This reaction may help keep you from getting knocked out or may simply play into your opponent’s strategy to set you up for a subsequent attack to the body.

Notice, that both options B and C imply a decision as you have options to choose from.

Identifying these options is based on your prior experience and training.

The more training you have, the more options you have in selecting your response.

This selection process occurs during the gap between stimulus (your opponent’s left hook) and your response (i.e., evading the punch and countering).

‘Minding the gap’ in business is critical. For example, if you don’t have any experience negotiating a contract, you may reflexively negotiate only on price, neglecting other factors like post-sales support or vendor history.

If you don’t have experience leading a team to deliver a project within a tight timeline, you may reflexively ask for more resources, assuming that more project team members will accelerate progress and keep your schedule intact.

Both situations are examples of reacting to a situation where few if any alternatives are assessed. Your reactions may seem faster but whether they are effective is left to chance.

Your goal is to fill the gap between stimulus and response with multiple options. Identifying these options is a function of your preparation and training.

That training can be developed over years of experience, or by working with a mentor or coach that has successfully navigated the various minefields of your industry.

As you learn to identify more options, the elapsed duration of your gap time will decrease. As you gain more experience, you may appear to be reacting by making split-second decisions but in fact your training has now:

• Developed your awareness skills to quickly identify opportunities and threats
• Assess the strengths, weaknesses of available options
• Select the most appropriate option and act

You are now Response-Able.

You can now choose your response and the impact of your decisions will be evident in the success of your team, projects, and organization.