“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end —
which you can never afford to lose —
with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of
your current reality, whatever they might be.”
― Admiral James Stockdale
I’ve spent a lot of the last 3-4 days speaking with leaders as they try to adapt to what’s happening in the world right now.
There has been a blend of under-reaction, over-reaction and insightful action.
I found myself telling a story to a few about James Stockdale (who I will return to in a future post) who is a famous US military officer. Famous for the recognition of his resilience while being captured as a Prisoner of War during the Vietnam War, and in the most extreme and inhumane conditions.
A simple way of digesting the above quote is to see yourself having one foot in reality (the brutal facts) and the other foot in unwavering faith of prevailing.
Right now, we need to get in real tune with reality – not the hype or rumours. That also means watching the sources of information coming your way and also not getting caught up with the inevitable hysteria that something of this nature will create.
There is no doubt that we are in unchartered territory. And we will need to make many changes
The time calls for clear, decisive thinking. And calm.
Below is access to some advice I wrote for clients last Wednesday morning about how to handle what’s happening. A lot has happened since then but the advice is still relevant.
I hope it helps,
Corona Crisis: 10 Pieces of Advice For Leaders On Handling The ‘New Reality’.
Best,
Shane