All storms pass and there is calm again. In the middle of the storm, lead by focusing on learning and growing – and support your team with examples of past success.
We all face storms in our personal and professional lives. There is no getting around it. The storms will come and the storms will go. The only control you have in these storms is how you will act; you get to choose what you will do with your time in the storm.
One more thing; it’s not just about you – your team is looking for you to lead them through the storm.
The best time to decide what your actions will be is when you are on the outside of the storm. I decided a long time ago that I would use every storm to learn and grow. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I welcome the storms. But since I can’t control when they appear, I do my best to treat them not as obstacles but as opportunities.
John F. Kennedy once said, “When written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.”
With the weather we can be sure that after the rain comes the rainbow. When my children were young, we would all look up into the sky to see that beautiful colorful sight that we had seen so many times before. I admit that even today it gives us all a thrill.
During my personal storms, I do the same thing. I look for the successes that I have seen so many times before that I know will come again. I remember and remind my team that we not only survived past storms, but thrived and came out on the other side more prepared for the next one.
When you are in the middle of a storm remember, it isn’t a matter of if you will make it through – you will; you’ve done it before – it’s about what you will learn and how you will grow.
2 Responses to How to lead through the storm
williamjameslew April 19, 2013
Hi Denis
I chose failure because I thought it was the right thing too do. I’m a religious man, incase I haven’t made that clear before. It is time too do so now.
I lost my faith and belief in God a few years ago, I remember looking around in the room I was standing in and feeling alone. The fixtures were sharply defined clear and impersonal, looking down at myself and even could see in my minds eye my own face and wondering why I wasn’t more shocked than I was actually feeling. Kristin said something and the spell was broken. Once in a while faith returns and is gone again.
I have never taken talent personally, but as the gift I perceived it too be. I have loved working with art and feel privileged too be chosen for this profession. Art is sacred, I believed and still treat it so. Though Jesus is … .
This is where I like too relax when time permits there on the patio in the corner on those warm summer days and watch grandchildren play. There in front of the cherry trees is where the fountain should stand. He was asking, and I agreed. He went on too explain. The fountain should not be a worry but something children can climb and even trough a rope over and swing or as they please. I understood implicitly and we were in agreement. I am a businessman, he said. You the artist have freehand with no interference in design, again we agreed.
During our drive home toward Greive, I explained how inspiration at times will in a moment give an idea and at others there would be no guessing, In eagerness too begin we arranged too met on Saturday morning when Eva, his wife would be present. We parted at my home and he drove the remaining hundred meters too his office.
It was Wednesday afternoon and seventy hours before meeting again. I began immediately and on Saturday morning I rang Thomas as planed. The telephone was engaged and remained so for several hours. When finally he answered, it was in a subdued tone of voice. He related for me, his mother had died in the night. I was shocked, Maj-Lis was also a neighbor. We talked for a short time, I said, I could wait but he insisted that we would meet on Monday and sadly we said good bye.
I packed the model and materials and left too visit my son for the day.
As usual Sam’s house was full with friends and as usual I was greeted boisterously by familiar faces and a place was made for me. When things settled down and I had told of Jenny’s grandmother death they were all moved for Jenny’s sadness. I seldom left home without my work, as a musician would carry an instrument so I began again too work.
The previous three years I had being developing a technique using the ancient ‘lost-form’ idea and was modeling directly with bee’s wax. The six organic shapes which were my starting point were placed in an elliptical formation. The top of each of the six forms are pointing into the ellipse and downward at varied angles where a stream of water is anticipated.
The melancholia of Maj-Lis’s death left me pensive and unattached but I worked on slowly building on my ideas but it was mechanical as is much of artistic work. When inspiration appears it shows you what you are doing and not what you could be doing and there before me were six swans.
Monday morning Eva and Thomas were pleased too see me,we sat, they on one side of the kitchen table and I the other. I began too tell them about my fountain and how it had been conceived. When I finally uncovered the model the three of us sat there in tears, they were overjoyed and we would name the fountain ”Maj-Lis Svanar”
”The Swans of Maj-Lis” for his mother.
#: When you’re ahead of the game and the competition is picking your trash too frame as trophies don’t take a plane or a bus or a train take a walk listen too the music wave your hands in the air, read the ‘Good-Book’ simply Divine.
#: Sometimes when I review my situation, not only is the brewing storm visible, I can see why I started it.
When difficult decisions must be made reflection and advice is necessary. The competition has hardened and is reenforced. Planning an uphill battle demands special tactics of guile and cunning intelligence.
There is no better peace and quiet than the eye of the storm. ‘it’s’ nice when it’s blowing out there and even more satisfying too read and learn, See how your friends are doing and give a wave.
William.