Leaders of impact take action and good things happen. The storm will pass.
Centuries ago, wealthy people would invest in merchant ships carrying spices, tea, textiles or other items of great value. Because the ships could be lost to pirates or storms, there was no guarantee that the ship would make it. Therefore, “waiting for my ship to come in“ came to signify waiting for wealth or success.
In these days of economic uncertainty, often we find ourselves waiting for something good to happen. What does a true leader of impact do? While there are certainly things over which we have no control, leaders are the ones who do more active waiting.
One young leader I know is president of a chain of restaurants. While waiting for the coronavirus pandemic to be over and vaccines to spread around the world, he decided to get busy. He assembled his leadership team to look for opportunities during this season.
They brainstormed and evaluated and launched a few of those new ventures. Some of them worked in others didn’t. That’s the nature of business, but those that worked have served to keep his company in the black and keep people employed.
The bottom line is, leaders of impact take action and good things happen. The storm will pass. We don’t know how long it will take, but this gives us great motivation and enthusiasm to try new things. Think about your core competencies and what has made you successful so far. At a principal level, what you do well in one area will help you leverage your best assets- people, money and goodwill- towards other opportunities. And, you’ll be a lot more fun to be with!
