Talking with a friend yesterday and we were discussing the recent pandemic and the lessons we had learned from a business perspective. Too often as leaders we get used to status quo and using past results to drive our strategies. I quite often ask people – Did you drive to work today looking only into the rear view mirror? Wouldn’t be the safest approach and the likelihood of getting into an accident is quite high. On the contrary, not only do we look out the front window, side mirrors and now utilize other technology such as GPS and dynamic maps. My friend told me that he has been telling his team, “Never waste a good crisis”.

When faced with a crisis situation I quite often reflect on The Stockdale Paradox. The Stockdale Paradox was introduced by Jim Collins in his book – Good to Great. For a full explanation refer to Jim Collins’ website (www.jimcollins.com/concepts/Stockdale-Concept.html).

The lesson from the Stockdale Paradox is that when faced with a crisis situation have faith that you will overcome in the end and be brave enough to face the brutal facts.

During the Vietnam War, James Stockdale was the highest ranked prisoner of war. Admiral Stockdale was held captive for over seven years. Over the seven years, Admiral Stockdale was repeatedly tortured and was given no reason to believe he would make it out of captivity alive. When asked why some prisoners survived and others didn’t, Admiral Stockdale explained it was the ability to embrace the brutal facts of the situation balanced with the faith and optimism that he would overcome. The simple advice – prepare for the worst and maintain your optimism for the future.