The importance of character when it's important...

I am not trying to be flippant when I say we are all in the middle of a very large Virology 101 classroom — as COVID 19 infiltrates the populations of the world we are all better understanding virus morphology, modes of transmissions, R naught ratings, progression of a disease, et cetera, et cetera. A new virus has entered the population and based on current data, if not put in check, may kill up to 2 % of the population before a vaccine and therapeutics are available. By any definition we are dealing with a crisis and now faced with what is affectionately called “flattening the curve” — implementing activities to slow the transmission rate of the virus, and by doing so, protect our institutions from becoming overwhelmed by those who become very sick. This is a situation where no one person can sit on the sidelines and everyone needs to take this seriously. Success will be the result of an effort of community and the character that comes with it.

We have all had difficult situations to work through, and like Covid 19, some came with ramifications that were life altering. As I contemplate the current situation (and past situations), there are aspects of character that reflect who we are, and more importantly, reflect our standing when the dust settles. The character for success.

Curiosity and Adaptability — ask questions to understand the situation. Be curious about the situation; understand the situation; know the situation. Seek out knowledge and be willing to adapt to the circumstances you have to work with. Knowledge will inevitably bring change and It’s important to embrace it — no matter how uncomfortable.

Honesty and Transparency — speak truth and be willing to share that truth. Full Stop

Compassion and Kindness — be willing to help others. Offering a helping hand is important, but remember empathy for how someone is feeling (or how they are reacting) can help with connection and understanding, and this will most likely lead to a more successful outcome. It’s possible that unexpected response was not because the person is difficult, but rather because they are anxious.

Grit and Determination — “I will not stop until it is done”. This is the birth place of all those good things we like to talk about: “New ways of doing things”, “Creative ideas”, “Overcoming obstacles”, “INNOVATION”, “Out of the box thinking”, “Success”, et cetera.

Courage — introduce a new virus into the population that disrupts the way we live, makes people sick, and causes death — it will cause anxiousness, anxiety and fear to be sure. The only way to check these feelings (and deal with the situation) is with courage. Even if you are just pretend to be courageous, that will work too.

Rising to the challenge, putting your best foot forward and bringing out the best in people — definitely important when it’s important, but then again, shouldn’t that be every day.

iamgpe

Surrender the narrative...

Why would anyone ever want to surrender the podium and in effect give the microphone to a substitute? It just seems very counter intuitive; after all, who can tell your story better than you? More affectionately called the narrative, this is the story we tell others (and ourselves) as we spin our tale. Make no mistake, this narrative is extremely important as it represents your personal brand (and the substance behind it), who you are, what you are doing, where you are going, your value, and your potential. The narrative conveys and controls the message that is you.

So back to the original question, “If you want to control your message, why would you ever give up control and risk having your story told wrong? “ The reason is it reflects the confidence and conviction of who you are and what you’re doing, and even more importantly, validates your story. As they say, there is nothing more impactful than the endorsement from someone else.

I learned this lesson a very long time ago around a dinner table — I was asked (with venom) why I felt our business unit was so special? To that question I turned to the VP at the time and suggested he could answer that question better than I could. And he did, and I nodded, and the person who asked the question frowned. Now in fairness I knew the VP was an informal supporter so our narrative was aligned and it was simply fun to watch him disappoint the naysayers around the table. Where it can be less entertaining is when people are asked to speak on your behalf but they may not be aligned.

I can remember, with great clarity I might add, the Chief Commercial Officer asking my team about how it was going, what they thought of the program, and by extension how I was doing. I sat at the back of the room quietly, and just listened. I watched the discussion play out hoping my surrogate narrators were “on message”. My mantra as they spoke was, “Don’t say anything; don’t say anything; whatever you do, don’t say a fucking word”.

Why you may ask was telling myself this?

If I had said something I would have compromised who was speaking, compromised the message, and most importantly compromised my conviction with what we were doing. There is also another reason, an important truism that seems to get forgotten more often than not — sometimes you need to shut the fuck up and let someone else speak.

Something I will admit I forget every so often.

iamgpe

Fuck... but I'm tired.

I should point out that as I write this I’m refreshed and have been sleeping really well ever since I beat an annoying head cold — I know this because the withings fitness watch I got for my birthday says so; I’m also up to date with my average heart rate and the number of steps I’m getting in per day. But I digress.

I don’t actually think about how tired I can get unless I’m actually very tired so I only bring this up after watching PBS. Lately I’ve found myself pushing back on the noise of the world; the opinion; the questionable facts; the loud shout overs — I crave the facts, a balance of opinion, and a long format perspective of things. All of this has brought me to the PBS News Hour or The Agenda with Steve Paikin. Again, I digress.

Recently I watched Amy Walter (from Politics Monday with Amy Walter and Tamara Keith) in Iowa just before the Iowa Caucuses were about to start. I will say I’ve always been fascinated with the “great experiment” the founding fathers* set in motion over 240 years ago; maybe I just find the lessons of history so interesting and valuable — again with the digression. Normally when I watch Amy Walter in studio she’s fresh, sharp and articulate but in this case her exhaustion was apparent; it showed on her face and in her words. I couldn’t help but say, “Oh honey, you’re exhausted; it looks like you haven’t slept in days”. There was Amy Walter, fighting through exhaustion to get the job done.

I was looking at the type of exhaustion that’s thrust upon you and you have no choice but to push through it — and I’m not talking about a couple of nights of restless sleep but day after day of sleep deprivation, deadlines, stresses, expectations, crying babies, crying bosses, and sore feet. This is something we’re all familiar with, and instinctively know it’s not good for our wellbeing. It’s something that when we’re experiencing it, it’s never helpful to get the obligatory advice we should get some sleep, because trust me, it’s at the top of the list when we’re so tired the tears are running down your cheeks. We know it’s not good for us, although, it does offer insight into resilience and grit, both of which are crucial components to success.

I have no profound advice other than try to get out of it as quickly as you can, summon the courage not to quit, focus on getting the job done, and take pride you are still standing. I would also like to say if you happen to be coming off a good night’s sleep please have a little sympathy, understanding, and appreciation for those at the front of the room who obviously didn’t.

iamgpe

*I have noticed people are now calling the founding fathers “the framers”. Don’t ask me why… I’m Canadian