There is no argument that 2020 has been and continues to be one of the most challenging years in most of our lifetimes. With continued Covid-19 uncertainties, post-election chaos, and the arrival of the holidays, it is far too easy for us—and detrimental to us—for stress to rise dramatically.
Days like these remind me of one of my least favorite clichés: “What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.” I’m not sure if this is true. I am sure that what doesn’t kill you, does make you different– maybe smarter, perhaps more careful, and typically with a different view of the world around you. Personally, I believe that trying times and traumatic life events don’t change you. I believe that these events remind you of who you are and surface skills you likely have been ignoring or are unfamiliar to you. We can agree that “stuff” happens in life. How should we get through the challenging times and what can we learn so the next time we encounter challenging times, we navigate the issue and the consequences with expertise? Consider these three strategies:
1. Slow things down. Some of the greatest, Hall of Fame-caliber baseball players will tell you that when they were at their very best the game seemed to “slow down for them.” When Derek Jeter, for example, earned the moniker “Mr. November” during the 2001 World Series, he explained that the game felt like it had decelerated so much he could see the stitching on the ball as he was preparing to execute on a game-winning hit. The pitch was almost 100 mph. When stress arrives, it is critical we don’t permit the events to overwhelm us. On the contrary, it is critical that we slow things down. This doesn’t mean behave lethargically. This means maintain a focus that creates the sensation that the various elements of the events causing the challenge can be taken apart and examined, piece by piece. Researchers at Baylor University tested this theory. Turns out it’s an illusion; considered a by-product of adrenaline, there is no biochemical explanation. So, the good news is that it can be an acquired skill. We can learn this trait—and if we can learn it, we can perfect it with practice.
2. Expand your field of play and get in the habit to look downfield. Russell Wilson is clearly an above average quarterback. That’s as generous a compliment you can get from this New York Giants fan. But let’s be honest, his ability to expand the field of play creates opportunities to move the ball forward and ultimately score. He never loses his focus on the line of scrimmage—the threats staring him, quite literally, in the face. But he is keenly aware that he can “stretch out the field” through any number of techniques.
It is a very natural human reaction to constrict our environments, not expand them, when we face challenges. Why would we do that? In a word, we do that because it feels safe. Ironically, it’s counterproductive. Constricting our worlds during crisis increases our chances for more problems and dramatically decreases our likelihood for success. Expanding your field of play also forces a heightened leverage of your creativity. There is no greater ally during critical life moments than the trait of creativity. Consider areas in your own life or career where you can use your creativity to “stretch out the field.” Are there people you’ve never interacted with, but should? Are there programs or services your facility can offer, but don’t? Can you, right now, be leveraging what you already do well, but do so in a new space? I would bet that the answer to least two of these questions is “yes.”
3. Gather data, but don’t over gather data. Major General Eisenhower is arguably the most important figure in the Allied victory over the Nazis in World War II. The start to that victory was “Operation Overlord,” the Allied invasion of Europe. “D-Day,” as it has become known, was the perfect combination of troops, sailors, and airmen – hundreds of thousands of them. The operation took months to plan. Variables and contingencies had to be considered in every aspect of what was one of history’s most defining moments.
Eisenhower had already delayed the operation a month when time and pressure mounted. There was one, very important piece of data that Eisenhower had to be entirely confident in, and it was the one thing neither he nor his forces could control: the weather. If the weather continued to be cloudy and raining and the tides rough, securing the beachheads would be nearly impossible.
Eisenhower was sitting on the decision to launch what is still the military’s largest amphibious attack in the history of the United States. No matter who he consulted, no one could move the clouds or change the tides. On June 6, 1944, after collecting and analyzing data from multiple sources, Eisenhower ordered Operation Overlord to commence. The Allies would capture the beachheads in Normandy, and two months later would use that insertion point to move across Europe and defeat Hitler.
What would have happened if Eisenhower had waited—even one more day? History and the weather charts show that the tides would have worsened. In fact, the next opportunity to safely and successfully launch the assault would have been two weeks later. If Eisenhower had waited, history would likely have been changed forever. Two weeks would have given the Germans an even deeper foothold in key targets and it would have given them and their spies that much longer to learn of the plan.
Subscribe to your favorite news, market and industry outlets. Wake up to the day’s most important news. We are presented with a constant stream of data every day. There will come a time in the collection and analysis of that data, though, where we must simply make the best decision, we can with the facts we know at that point. To do otherwise can and likely will change our own personal history.
Life was already complicated before the start of 2020 and the uncertainty around some very important issues does not offer much relief in the short-term. But, with a sound approach, I am confident we will not only get through whatever may lay ahead, but whatever may lay ahead has the potential to make us all better parents, professionals, friends, and colleagues. The best part, what will make you stronger is already within you.
As always, if I or any member of the Section staff can ever be of service to you, never hesitate to contact us.
Frank Talarico, CEO