…Each passing day in the hurricane’s aftermath unfolded slowly as a path was cleared through the rubble. I had to figure out my next moves. The ports were destroyed, businesses shuttered, airports in tatters, no one was getting around or off the island without difficulty. Amid the destruction, the wagons that could circle to make our lives easier were stuck offshore and we couldn’t get anywhere easily. Somehow, I had to carry on.
Sailors know that at sea, before a storm’s arrival, they need to reduce the vessel’s propulsion by trimming in the mainsail to keep the boat from getting overpowered by the force of the wind and sea state. We call this “reefing the main.” Knowing when to reef the main is a critical skill that has to be developed. The adage is that if you are thinking about reefing, it’s already too late. Entrepreneurs, just like mariners, need to create good instincts and plan ahead to anticipate a response to any disaster, to be able to move before it’s too late. Rita Mae Brown says, “good judgment comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgment.” For my part, I can say that I’ve had plenty of opportunities to practice getting experience…
Most of us find ourselves weathering any number of extreme events that offer us plenty such opportunities to develop good judgment. As of the time of this post, we are still in the throes of the global Covid-19 pandemic, a “Category 5” event that reverberates in any number of ways for most of us as financial, social, or emotional distress. The question is, are we using this experience to develop good judgment and to make good decisions for ourselves, our teams and our families? read more
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