Yesterday, I had a breakdown.

It was an all-out-temper-tantrum-kicking-screaming-crybaby-mess of a thing. Not one of my finest moments. But you know what? It felt good.

Ok. That's not entirely true. But there is something truly satisfying about just letting it all out and allowing yourself to go into meltdown mode. And believe it or not, the process can be quite productive. After all, without breakdowns, there wouldn't be breakthroughs.

Allow me to explain...

Breakdowns are a Natural Part of Progress

Everything in life is constantly shifting - businesses grow, people change, we go through waves of progress followed by stagnant lulls of boredom. As things move in their natural flow, we do our best to adapt. Businesses adapt procedures to deal with increased demand; people adapt behaviors and communication to maintain relationships; every day we roll with the punches. But, inevitably, there comes a point when the "old way" just doesn't work anymore and a whole "new way" needs to be created. And the breakdown is the first clue that that point has been reached.

Consider the company that produces beautiful blue widgets. As they get more and more popular, the widget makers do their best to meet the demand. They strain their resources to the bone, pushing everyone and everything to keep producing. And then one day, their widget making machine breaks down because it just can't handle the load. This sparks the breakthrough - it's time to upgrade the machinery. The old way of doing things just isn't appropriate for the new needs.

Breakdowns come in all shapes and forms. Most often, they're not pretty. But they have to happen. You use processes that work until they don't. And when they stop working, it's a breakdown.

This happened a while ago at my office, when a major error was made in some client paperwork. Looking back, it was bound to happen sooner or later. The procedures had been put in place years ago, when the client load was much lighter. As more clients came in, things got hectic. Before long, the operations had become incredibly rushed due to the volume of work and the demand for fast turn times. But we were all so busy, no one had the time to sit down and re-evaluate the procedures. Instead, we all just kept forging ahead. The error, however, was the breakdown that made everyone stop. We had to turn the breakdown into a breakthrough by creating new procedures that helped spread out the work, making the volume more manageable for everyone and keeping the quality at the high levels we prided ourselves on. The new process was such an enormous improvement on so many levels, it was truly a breakthrough. The error was painful, but it almost seemed necessary.

Many times, the changes that come from breakdowns are huge leaps in progress. When you look back on the breakdown, you're often tempted to say it was worth it. You know what I mean - have you ever had a productive argument? It's the same thing! A communication breakdown that may have lead to a communication breakthrough. Sure, it was painful, but it got you somewhere.

How to Turn a Breakdown into a Breakthrough

A breakdown is a signal to stop where you are. Whether it's a professional breakdown in procedure like the example above, or an emotional breakdown in your personal life, they are like big red flags being thrown into the air. They can appear in many different forms:

• Errors (procedural breakdown)
• Arguments (communication breakdown)
• Exhaustion (physical breakdown)
• Emotional hissy fits (probably a mixture of all of the above)

No matter what kind of breakdown you're having, it's pretty safe to assume you don't want to have it again. Remember that breakdowns are signs that things need to change. When a breakdown is in process, allow it to run its course but don't let it absorb you. These things happen. Accept it and move on.

Now, once the initial breakdown has passed, evaluate what happened. What sparked the argument? What caused the error? Don't spend too much time rehashing all the gory details. Focus on the present and what can be done to prevent the same breakdown from happening again in the future.

My recent personal breakdown happened because I was frustrated with myself for not voicing an opinion on something when I should have. Instead, I waited and held my feelings inside until all of the sudden they came rushing out in the form of a hissy fit. Now, after reflecting on my breakdown, I can see exactly what happened and why. To prevent it from happening again - to turn my breakdown into a breakthrough - I've made a promise to speak openly about my opinions. Additionally, the poor souls who witnessed my hissy fit have recognized that I have some very strong opinions that are quite important to me. Granted, it wasn't the best way to have handled myself, but alas, a breakdown is never pleasant.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating temper tantrums at work. And I'm certain that many people will argue that preventing breakdowns by being proactive is a much more effective route. But let's be real: we've all experienced at least one type of breakdown. And we'll experience many more. It's how you handle a breakdown that can make it a positive, and productive, experience.