There are so many reasons to be bummed at the current state of things. Each day, even with signs of HOPE and RECOVERY peeking through, there is also the corresponding news of lay-offs and businesses on the fence struggling earnestly to make it...and the individual toll is heart-breaking. It came to me that there might be some value in calling upon collective wisdom from others who have survived "HARD TIMES". What could we learn from them? How could what they did, somehow free us? Perhaps, it would help us change our perspective a bit, rev up our courage to a new level so we could "claim our wings," and help lead the way out of this mess. Here are three inspiring perspectives to consider...
IN ANOTHER HARD TIME
When I worked at IBM, I remember when the idea of layoffs was first introduced. It was the first time since the great depression that the the word had ever been mentioned as a possibility at IBM. So none of us had ever known the experience in our lifetimes. It was the beginning of what would become a trend in many businesses. I remember it carrying with it a similar sadness to what is with us today. Before the change was over, thousands were caught in the layoffs as IBM struggled to reinvent itself. Our company coffee shops were filled with grumpy, scared people; morale was low. I remember one of my most admired mentors asking a compelling question one day that gave me a jolt, "How do we 'jump this curve' and lead the way." He reminded us that we had an opportunity to shape a new and different future. At the same time, futurist Joel Barker shared a great thought in one of his films that pushed me out of "the coffee shop" to take a big leap of faith --- He said, "You can and should shape your own future, because if you don't someone else surely will." This is wisdom that can be applied not only to our jobs, our businesses and our lives --- but also our nations and the world. The future rests in our hands. I want to add that I remain grateful to IBM for being the catalyst for "claiming my wings" and for all I learned in my rewarding leadership career with them that prepared me to fly. It was that extra courage that emerged when the fear was deep that turned the perceived "closed doors" into "open pathways" where I could "claim my wings" for an unexpected period of growth and renewal. I've never been sorry I took the chance.
LEARNING FROM SURVIVORS
Interestingly, just before I left IBM, we used one of Joel Barker's films called, the POWER OF VISION. In it, he had a segment filmed at Auschwitz. He shared the story told by Viktor Frankl in his classic, Man's Search for Meaning. Among the wisdom and account of Dr. Frankl's "lessons learned" were the qualities of those individuals who survived the Holocaust. He shared that the people who survived had a positive vision of the future and believed they had something significant left to do. I remember how this perspective helped many of us work our way through the changes at IBM and its implications on our own work and lives. A few years back, I included this film segment in a Viktor Frankl exhibit at the Global Dialogue Center KNOWLEDGE GALLERY. I encourage you to take few minutes to get inspired. (Scroll down when you get there. NOTE: The film link is right under the visual self-learning exhibit.
One of the important messages Viktor Frankl left for us is an invitation for all of us. He wrote:
"Everything can be taken from a man but...the last of human freedoms
---to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's way."
CLAIMING YOUR WINGS
I have a cherished book that I've read over and over again by Emmet Fox. One of my favorite writings in it is "Claiming Your Wings." I wonder if in both an individual and collective way, we are being called to do just this at this time in history. Imagine this possibility and its positive implications if we all dared to do it in our own ways. Imagine what we could do together powered by personal leadership at every level of business and society to create the change we so badly need. See what you think...
Emmet Fox told this story...
"To me the butterfly teaches the most important lesson that we human beings ever have to learn. You all know his story. He lived what seemed to him a very long time as a worm---what we call the humble caterpillar. Now the life of a caterpillar could be taken as the very type and symbol of restriction. He lives on a green leaf in the forest, and that is about all he knows.
Then one day the little caterpillar finds certain strange stirrings going on within himself. The old green leaf, for some reason, no longer seems sufficient. He becomes moody and discontent. He feels the need for a bigger, finer, and more interesting life. His instinct tells him that where there is true desire there must be fulfillment.
And so the wonderful thing happens: the butterfly emerges beautiful, graceful, now endowed with wings, and instead of crawling about on a restricted leaf, he soars above the trees, above the forest itself---free, unrestricted, his own True Self."
What about you?
What do you think?
Do you have an inspiring story or insight to share?
Best...
Debbe
Debbe Kennedy
founder, Global Dialogue Center
and Leadership Solutions Companies
author, Putting Our Differences to Work(Berrett-Koehler 2008)
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership, and High Performance
YouTube Book Review by futurist Joel A. Barker
ONLINE EVENT: You're Invited!
MARCH 31
"INNOVATING in HARD TIMES"
...a global conversation with futurist and filmmaker Joel A. Barker
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