When I graduated from high school in 1965, the boys’ dream car was the Mustang, and our class song was The Impossible Dream. I think that, ironically, they went together.
You might groan, thinking what a corny, sentimental ballad. But then, it was the ‘60s: civil rights marches and urban riots, Viet Nam protests, a cultural revolution, moon landings, and economic prosperity all filled our world view. Many of us were going to be first generation college bound. We were Boomers full of ideals and optimism and grit. In the context of today’s global pandemic, economic recession, and a politically divided US, I’m wondering how much of that optimism and grit has survived to help sustain us now. So this blog post isn’t about tactical survival moves to implement in your business in the next few quarters. Instead I want to share what I hope will support your endurance.
Footings in a Pandemic
What allows some people to triumph in difficult circumstances and others succumb or crumble? I like the word triumph. It ‘s assertive and action-driven, not reactive, and it’s celebratory. Various sources define it as “to gain ascendancy over and a mastery of…” and as a “successful ending of a struggle or contest, joy over success.” Isn’t that what we want to say of ourselves and feel when this crisis subsides, not just relief but joy, not just survival but that we found a sense of mastery?
When the earth shakes and we begin to feel, perhaps, fear or helplessness, there are two footings that provide stability and balance and enable us not just to cope, but to triumph. The first is resilience, and the second is character. I offer a couple of real-life examples, though I found many in my informal inquiries.
The Resilience of Youth
Since I began this musing with high school memories, let me give a high school senior’s recent experience with the pandemic. She is a devoted fan of, and participant in, theater. Last year she had a lead role with a cast of several dozen, so the whole family convened from various states to attend. This year the theater is shuttered. This weekend I streamed their play, Clue, to watch her and a very small cast in the most creative, adaptive staging of this hilarious work. It was a study in resilience.
School administration could have said, “No play this year.” Instead the drama teacher said “Of course we must do a show!” (Maybe she was channeling Judy Garland and Andy Rooney in Babes In Arms? “We’ve gotta have a great show, with a million laughs… and color… and a lot of lights to make it sparkle! And songs – wonderful songs! And after we get the people in that hall, we’ve gotta start em in laughing right away! Oh, can’t you just see it…?”)
And while doing a Zoom-type event has almost become standard, it took resilience to creatively triumph over novel obstacles: virtual prop transfers and mirroring movements within Zoom boxes, combining tech and show rehearsals. And there were psychological challenges – no audience to provide energy; no on-stage co-actors with whom to interact – which create feelings of isolation and loneliness – the antithesis of why we join a theater group!
I asked this 18-year-old what she learned from the experience. With wisdom we can all learn from, she said, “We had to stay open to possibilities even in a very different environment. We pushed through and adapted because we saw the opportunity to still do what we loved.” They clearly illustrated toughness and a capacity to adapt and to recover from a difficult and disappointing situation – another way to define resilience.
“Character is Destiny”
I have a family member who late in 2019 bought a manufacturing company, his first business. He gave up a good consulting practice and took on debt to do so. When the pandemic arrived just two months into the year, it was catastrophic as his supply chain for materials evaporated and then orders collapsed. He feared he might face personal bankruptcy. “We just had to grind through it day by day, and each day was unique with people fearful and anxious of what might happen.”
Fast forward to today. The company will have one of its best years, up 15% over 2019. One product line is up 1000%. He has not lost a single employee despite having a one-week furlough in March and, short term, “better pay” options under unemployment benefits. His pressing problem now is finding employees to match the growth. His people are excited, feeling stability and are hopeful about company viability, though with the new surge in the virus, naturally anxiety about the future is rising.
Yes, he pulled all the levers of PPP and emergency relief programs under a fortunate “essential business” label. He was strategic in his labor retention/furloughs. He implemented rigorous safety protocols.
What makes him an example of the notion that “character is destiny” is why he did what he did. Character is, as David Brooks calls it, “the eulogy virtues,” those inner values and strengths for which we’d like to be remembered. As I followed this leader’s course through this crisis, and recently interviewed him, I saw him make choices that were, of course smart and informed (he has an MBA after all — necessary but not sufficient, I say) but also based on compassion, humility, integrity, wisdom, and courage.
What became clear to him in the crisis? “I had to shift my leadership and sense of ownership into fifth gear.” While he believed in “our company,” he knew “I had to do this” and bring the company along with him. He had to show that he and the company were in business for the long term and that only together could they get through the crisis. He put communication, transparency, and candor high on the management task list. He followed up intent and words with action: new investment, no layoffs, seeing and capitalizing on changing customer needs for once underperforming product lines. He stayed open to the compassionate support of his family and friends. And so today, he sees a better company because of the pandemic. His humility tells him the crisis isn’t over, and they have to stay vigilant. But his smarts AND his character and resilience will likely triumph over future challenges.
Hopeful Realism and the Courage to Continue
While the earth continues to shake and anxiety remains, I am hopeful. Grit, optimism and compassion aren’t just the passé ideals of the ‘60s. My faith in the importance of resilience and character to triumph is tied to reality — in Boomers, their children and grandchildren. It seems as true as ever that as Churchill said, “Success is not final; failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.” And by the way, true to form, I wrote this listening to all my favorite inspiring (sappy?) music from rock to opera.