Newsletter For June 2006:
The Value Of Adversity
Contents:
- This Months Thought
- The Value of Adversity
- Quotes of the Month
- Strictly Business: Drastic Changes
- Humor: Advice from an Old Farmer
This Months Thought
Tough times force us to examine ourselves. They burn out our weaknesses and flaws, and if viewed correctly, tough times prepare us for the future. Tough times may make us stronger. Tough times can force us to grow or change in ways that "good times" allows us to ignore or cover up. Tough times force us to discover what we are made of.
The Value of Adversity
I recently watched "The Wilderness Years" video about Winston Churchill's years as a "back bencher." For years he suffered defeat after defeat. He was humiliated at the end of World War I, and spent the years that should have been the height of his career as a lonely outcast. He was defeated on "the India question." He was on the wrong side when Edward abdicated the thrown. He was ridiculed for his views on Germany and the threat of war. He was broke and, at one point, nearly lost his home.
The strain tore at his family, and he struggled with the "black dog" of depression. The men in his family had a history of dying young and he feared that he, too, would die a failure and an outcast. He was 65 years old when he became Prime Minister.
I am convinced that much of the vigor, genius, stubbornness and resilience that made him such a magnificent leader came from those lonely years in the "wilderness."
Too often, we forget the value of the "wilderness."
We forget that Abraham Lincoln suffered defeat after defeat. He struggled with depression, poverty and ridicule. Ultimately, these experiences gave him the strength, and the vision, to become one of, if not the greatest of America's President.
Oprah Winfrey grew up in poverty. She was abused as a child. Personally, I am convinced that much of her appeal, and her power, comes from her ability to relate to ordinary people, particularly people who have suffered as she did.
Now obviously, suffering and rejection are not good things. We all want to avoid pain.
What is interesting, however, is how we respond when hard times come our way.
Some people crumble. They see the world as unfair. They see life as hard. They begin to think that they are "wrong" or flawed or unfit. At some level, they give up, or give in.
Others, however, hang tough. Like Churchill, they find reserves they never knew they had. They examine their beliefs and their strategies, adjusting where they can and must, and holding firm to the unchanging principles that guide their lives.
I would never wish adversity on anyone, and yet, without it, some of us will never know who we truly are. I love the quote from Nancy Reagan that "a woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until you put her in hot water." I trust that applies to men as well.
Many "This Months Thought" readers have known, or are currently enduring, tough times and I hesitate to offer any easy advice. Tough times are tough! They are not fun and they are not easy, and cheap or flippant advice is merely insulting. But tough times also bring out the best in us.
Tough times force us to examine ourselves. They uncover our weaknesses and flaws, and if viewed correctly, tough times prepare us for the future. Tough times may make us stronger. Tough times can force us to grow or change in ways that good times allow us to ignore or cover up. Tough times force us to discover what we are made of.
When adversity comes, and it comes in some measure to each of us, do not "accept" it! Rail and fight against it! Resist with all that is in you! But do not resent it. Learn from it and use it to your advantage.
Quotes of the Month
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear." -- Ambrose Redmoon
"Every day that you attempt to see things as they are in truth is a supremely successful day." -- Vernon Howard
"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." -- Antoine de St. Exupery
"One must marry one's feelings to one's beliefs and ideas. That is probably the only way to achieve a measure of harmony in one's life." -- Etty Hilsum
Strictly Business: Drastic Changes
Occasionally it becomes necessary for business to make drastic changes. Sometimes it means changes in key personnel, or marketing strategies. In the past few years, thousands of companies have wrestled with the "China question" and many old, traditional companies have moved manufacturing, sourcing or engineering to that (formerly) distant land.
Recently, one such company was Apple Computer.
After years of close cooperation with Motorola and IBM, the financial community was stunned by the news that Apple was going to be using Intel chips in the future.
This was a huge implication for Apple. First, they had millions of loyal customers who loved the "look and feel" Apple built on the IBM chips. By switching to Intel, they risked offending those customers and becoming "just another computer."
Secondly, Apple faced huge engineering challenges to convert their systems and software to the new chips. Why risk it?
Because not changing posed an even greater risk. For many years, on CD's and in live seminars, I've heard Brian Tracy ask the question, "Knowing everything you know now, is there any aspect of your business you would not go into if you were starting over tomorrow?" He explained that if the answer is "yes" the most important thing you can do is to get out of that part of your business as quickly as possible.
Change is always difficult, but it happens. Business changes. Entire industries appear, develop and disappear over time and one of the worst, and most tempting, things for business (and individuals) is to ignore the implications. Look at the airline industry. Look at the American auto industry.
Look at your own business. What are you doing that needs to change? What are you not doing that you should be? In the next ten years, what parts of your operation will become obsolete and need to be replaced?
Plan ahead and be prepared to make drastic changes whenever necessary.
Humor: Advice from An Old Farmer
Once again, I received some great chuckles from a friend! I love this "home spun" wisdom! I hope it makes you smile and perhaps gives us something to chew on.
- Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a distance.
- Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
- A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
- Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
- Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.
- Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
- It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
- You cannot unsay a cruel word.
- Every path has a few puddles.
- When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
- The best sermons are lived, not preached.
- Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.
- Don't judge folks by their relatives.
- Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
- Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none.
- Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
- If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
- Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
- The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.
- Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.
- If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
- Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly; leave the rest to God.
I'd like to share with you an interesting article I read on Fast Company's website titled "Coaching: The Fad That Won't Go Away," by Jim Bolt.
In his article about Executive and Leadership Coaching, Jim says: "Frankly, it wasn’t very long ago that having a coach was sort of a dirty little secret—you kept it to yourself. It meant you were in trouble and probably on the way out. Now it seems everybody has a coach. It means we’ve arrived, that we're a rising star, someone our organization is investing in for the future. Wow, what a turnaround!"
Which leads me to this question: What are you waiting for? Personal and professional growth is just around the corner!
Contact me if...
- You're feeling burned out and need to learn some strategies to reinvigorate yourself.
- You want to use your strengths for increased performance.
- You feel that the teams you are responsible for are not operating as effectively as they should be.
- You want to become a more effective leader.
If any of these statements apply to you—or if you know of someone that could benefit—contact me, Rodger Blaker at rodger@rodgerblaker.com and explore the exciting possibilities for greater success for you.