"The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." - Nelson Mandela
Globally, individuals and organisations are feeling confined, restricted, limited in these challenging times.
Even if individually and collectively, we don’t say it out loud with confidence or solely to entrusted people and/or to prepare for worse announcements to come, we are experiencing fear as the situation changes rapidly on daily basis.
SeeAre is no stranger to that feeling. Neither the team members nor myself as its founder. For the past two months, we have been relentlessly working to adapt our business model in a way that will allow us to survive through the Coronavirus storm. It is no secret that coaching and leadership development is not a priority for most people and businesses at the moment. Everyone is on survival mode and these services are perceived as non-essential right now.
Of course, we would be tempted to state it is exactly NOW that we are needed the most. When people and leaders are facing an unprecedented situation, it is THE moment to be surrounded by people who have the capability to help identify blind spots, think outside mental frameworks and/or ensure decisions leading to actions are not entirely emotional or fear-based.
Truth be told, we know it won’t matter much what we think to most people, and we understand. Limited resources and a need for self-protection during this global crisis is a valid choice. There can't be blame for wanting to survive.
Even though history cannot provide all the answers to the problem at hand, it is still a very valuable source for inspiration. And that is exactly what we did. We looked for people who were confined, restricted, limited and surrounded by a threatening environment in the past to get some clarity in these uncertain times.
How did people like Nelson Mandela, Anne Frank and Winston Churchill think? How did they make a difference? Which internal resource did they tap into to become a role model for times to come?
First, we found the quote of Nelson Mandela stated above. Even though he talks about a concept known to most of us, because HE said it, we feel his words aren’t just an echo of hope. They are his truth, a belief he lived and died by.
Then we found Anne Frank’s words:
“No one has ever become poor by giving.” - Anne Frank's Diary
And lastly, we found this :
“What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone?” – Winston Churchill