Great leaders are made of fight, not flight

For many of us, this pandemic will be the most memorable chapter of our lives.  

When we emerge from this period of global history and reflect upon this time, we should look back and ask ourselves “How did we react to this change? Did our instincts drive us to fight or flight? Did we have courage, take a deep breath and lock arms with our teams, families, friends and communities? Or, did we let fear paralyze us and fall into a downward spiral?” 

Great leaders are made of fight, not flight – of courage, not paralysis.  

And when we come out of this pandemic and understand what the new normal looks like, there will be many companies who haven’t done well: It’s not easy for airlines, restaurants, and many other industries that rely on people being in close contact.  And other companies will seemingly emerge from nowhere.  

But heroes are born out of challenging situations. In times like this, CEOs must show courage and forge a path onward because courage is more important than anything else.  

It’s about the desire to keep pushing onward, to find opportunities that you haven’t thought of before, and realign your business models. We can capitalize on this and drive even greater value for our stakeholders, all because we were forced to adapt and become an even better version of ourselves.  

Speaking for myself, the challenges at times seem daunting. Hence, I will share with you the pep talk I give myself: keep your desire to work hard and lead, and you’ll emerge from this crisis with a greater potentiality than before.