Book Excerpt--"A Test for Our Time: Crisis Leadership in the Next Normal"
Stephen Tang
Transformative Leader | 30+ Years as Chairman & CEO in For-Profit, Nonprofit & Government | Best-Selling Author | Leadership Roles in Launching All Three FDA-Cleared Infectious Disease Self-Tests | Pioneer in Innovation
Here’s an excerpt from my new book (working title for 2023 launch) A Test for Our Time: Crisis Leadership in the Next Normal. It echoes this week’s theme of servant leadership and trust.
On Mars, fictional astronaut Mark Watney is injured and left for dead. He soon realizes that his only chance for survival is to come to grips with his harsh environment and dismal circumstances. As he struggles to adapt and fight back against isolation and loneliness, he becomes increasingly desperate.
In the movie, "The Martian," we watch as this brave botanist slowly comes to terms with his new reality and finds the strength to carry on. We witness the powerful effects isolation can have on even the strongest minds. Through Watney's dilemma, we learn that it is possible to overcome great adversity if we are willing to fight for our survival and well-being.
When we closed the OraSure Technologies offices on Friday, March 13th, 2020, we sent most of our employees around the world into their own form of isolation. For many of us, this was the first time to experience anything like this. We suddenly had to find ways to work and live without much in-person interaction.
For some, this was a welcome change. They found they could be more productive without the distractions of colleagues. Others missed the interaction and connection with others. Some struggled with the lack of structure and routine.
No matter how people felt about it, isolation was a new challenge for all of us. We had to find ways to stay connected and support each other through this time. It's been almost three years since the pandemic started, and we are still living with its effects. We learned a lot about ourselves and each other during this time. We also learned how to be more flexible and adaptable. This experience has changed us in many ways, but we are grateful for the lessons we have learned.
Before we could "science the shit out of" anything (as Watney said the the movie), the people of OraSure needed to make sure we could trust each other. That meant cultivating trust between us and making sure that everyone was alive, sentient, and functional.
Back when I was a management consultant with Gemini Consulting, we had a trust formula:
Trust = (Credibility x Intimacy)/Risk.
High credibility means that you believe someone because there's no gap between what they say and do. You know you can rely on them.
High intimacy means that you feel safe discussing something with them because you know they have your back.
When the stakes are high, the risk is high. So, when there's perceived danger, credibility and intimacy need to be amped up higher to meet the challenge.
OraSure's survival—not to mention its ultimate transformation—depended on constantly and vigilantly building trust, as individuals and as a group. But first, we all needed to survive.
How does that passage land on you? I value your feedback.
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2 年Congratulations Steve! I can't wait for the publication of A Test For Our Time, and plan to share it with friends and colleagues, especially here in York and Central PA, where you aren't known as much as the business and technology rock star that you have become over your amazing career. All the best, Tom
Vazyme biotech- Sales Director
2 年In my humble opinion: Trust = (Credibility x Intimacy x reliability)/Risk? Reliability, generally speaking, is your "reality", the complexity of what you do, it doesn't matter, it is related to your attitude and actions. It is not worthwhile to have the ability to solve problems without the attitude and actions to solve problems. Relevant data shows that Chinese people love to hold meetings, and the length of meetings ranks first in the world. From 2015 to 2017, the average number and duration of meetings in China also gradually increased. The average number of meetings per week increased from 4.5 times in 2015 to 4.7 times in 2016, and reached an average of 5.1 times per week in 2017, and the length of meetings was also 50 minutes. This was raised to 55 minutes, up to 62 minutes in 2017. 会而不议 议而不决 决而不行 行而不果！这是中国管理层的通病
Partner, Corporate and Securities Group at Pierson Ferdinand LLP
2 年I liked the pop culture reference/metaphor, maybe because I use them a lot myself…. And thanks for sharing that trust equation never seen it before but it is powerful in its brevity Looking forward to more of your work