Regardless of the challenges and inevitable turmoil life throws at you, there universal truths that can be applied to leading more effectively through today’s turbulent times of rapid change.
“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche
I was invited to sail on the infamous Esmeralda, a Chilean four-masted sailing ship that had been used as a prison and torture chamber during the Pinochet regime, which is a perfect metaphor of my own journey.
After we sailed out of the calm harbor into the open sea, we were greeted by a vicious, raging storm that thrashed us about like a washing machine having a fit.
Gigantic waves buffeted the ship for the next two days and nights. I was terribly seasick, and just when I was at the peak of despair the storm abated, the sky cleared, and we continued on in full sail and calm seas. The rest of the trip was wonderful, and without a doubt one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
The exhilaration of surviving the storm, and witnessing the courageous leadership of the captain and his officers working together like a finely tuned orchestra, provided a truly outstanding and very memorable journey.
Four Ways to Lead Through Difficulty:
- Choice: Recognizing you don’t have a choice about many of the situations you’re ‘thrown’ into. However, you do have a choice about how you respond to them.
- Commitment: Commit to making a stand to face the crisis head on, and preparing as best you can to get through it.
- Context: Do you see your situation as a threat and react with fear? Or do you see it as an opportunity, and dance with it like a well-crafted tango?
- Cognition: This is the meaning you give things that determines your happiness and your greatness. Life runs more smoothly by becoming aware of and detaching from your inner turmoil – a choice you’ll make that can change the course of your life like a well-navigated ship.
Please post any thoughts you have on this subject, and follow me on Twitter @GrantWattie.