Make a New Deal With Unpredictability

When our business was in trouble and nearly flatlining about 7 years ago, it was time to make some tough decisions.The financial writing on the wall was painting a grim picture. Intuitively, we knew our approach required a massive overhaul. We needed to reinvent ourselves, but how?

Then one day it dawned on me that clarity and and a new direction could be discovered by studying historical events that would offer valuable clues on how to move forward with confidence. History could help with the daunting decisions that had to be made. As I began to research stories about the emergence of Henry Ford, the implosion of Kodak and how the Oakland A’s flipped baseball upside down with “Moneyball”, my mind started racing with visions of new possibilities.

In times of great uncertainty, it’s always a good idea to examine events from the past to better predict the future.

If nothing else, the events of the past week are revealing how you and the people you care about can Make a New Deal with Unpredictability on this edition of Leaders & Legends.

When Frank got his new job in November, there were days he must have felt like he had just been appointed captain of the Titanic hours before her brush with a North Atlantic iceberg. The more he examined the books and the economic disaster he inherited, the worse it looked.  

If that wasn’t enough, morale was in the toilet. People were beginning to revolt.

At times, the simmering cauldron of collective anger would erupt into public brawling and bloodshed.

Highly educated professionals and citizens of rank speculated the end was near; that the organization was facing the final curtain. More than once, Frank would mutter, “what the hell have I gotten myself into?”

His closest friends were worried sick. Was Frank in way over his head? What if this late bloomer wasn’t capable of measuring up to the challenge of this herculean task? Never before in his 22 years of professional life had Frank carried such an 800-pound monstrous gorilla of decisional magnitude on his shoulders. Searching for answers, he could not find a single case where anybody else in history had borne such a beast of burden. 

Faced with an endless barrage of public second-guessing before his inaugural speech to the board of directors, Frank made a simple, yet powerful decision.

If the world was going to eat him up and spit him out, it was going to happen on his terms and his terms alone. No matter what the critics said or thought, he was going to do things HIS way.

It would be another 36 years before another Frank, a crooner from Hoboken, NJ, would make “My Way”, written by Canada’s Paul Anka world famous. But, the defiant sentiments expressed in the lyrics of that 1969 Sinatra recording eloquently capture the spirit of what any leader – like our Frankie - needs to know in times of crisis.

Just like any one of us being tested by world events right now.

Just like Frank in March of 1933, as he diligently prepared to deliver his Inauguration Address in front of the U.S. Capitol. 

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the newly-elected 32nd President of the United States stepped up to the plate and delivered a grand slam. Carefully chosen words - perfectly delivered - that desperate people needed to hear most in the face of impending economic and social collapse. With factories closed, people starving, unemployment soaring above 25% and more than 2 million homeless, there were very real concerns that democracy itself may not be a viable option after all. The siege mentality that gripped the nation was very similar to the one that kicked in the evening of March 11th when the NBA announced they were suspending their season and economic dominoes started tumbling.  

When FDR became captain of the ship named America at the height of The Great Depression, his first order of business was to put an end to all the panic that was only making a bad situation worse. You can watch for yourself. Notice at the 1:10 mark how his stirring words relate to what we are all experiencing in our own lives right now.

Franklin Roosevelt would go on to become recognized as America's greatest president of the 20th century for his steely resolve to guide his country when times were at their worst. Following his landmark speech, FDR implemented the New Deal initiatives to get the U.S. back on the road to economic recovery. He also calmed the nation while embracing the new medium of radio with a series of 30 "Fireside Chats" before leading the Allied cause for freedom in the Second World War.

The fear and uncertainty experienced during the grayest of days during The Great Depression are no different that what happened last week when all 7 billion of us were jolted and thrown for a loop by the COVID-19 pandemic. There isn’t a single person, company or organization being affected by these unmatched events in world history and this is only the beginning.

There are still many hurdles to overcome.

There may be some dark and gloomy days ahead.

But, it’s reassuring to know we can always thumb through the pages of history and discover a bounty of insight and inspiration from leaders before us who have faced similar challenges. It only takes a moment to stop, reflect and ask a simple question:

“How have other leaders responded in times of unprecedented crisis?”

That’s precisely what Frankie did in the week prior to his March 4th inauguration speech. Hunkered down at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., FDR knew he was working on the speech of a lifetime; one that needed to inspire the American people to regain their sense of bravado and self-confidence. A student of history, Roosevelt brought with him a volume of writings from the essayist and philosopher Henry David Thoreau and went back eight decades to find this journal entry from September 7, 1851:

"Nothing is so much to be feared as fear." 

Taking his cue from one of America’s literary giants, Roosevelt reworked the threads of that one phrase and spun a verbal coin into oratory gold. For good measure, he tacked on one more sentence to drive the point home as he labeled fear for what it truly is:

“Nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance”.

History shows that Frank stated his case of which he was certain. 

There was nothing to fear but fear itself.

Fear can be more contagious than any virus. The emptying of shelves of toilet paper would indicate that. But, for centuries, human civilizations have survived all manners of catastrophes that include the Black Plague in 1347, the Spanish Flu of 1918, two world wars, the Kennedy assassination, the terrorist attacks on 9-11, SARS in 2003 and the market meltdown of 2008. Like previous calamities, this too shall pass. And by all indications, there will be plenty of toilet paper. For everyone.

• Turbulent times allow us to recognize that Fear can project a large shadow in our imagination, but he himself is small
• Turbulent times give us a chance to call out Fear for what he is; a cowardly chap who will bolt for the hills once you show that little scaredy-cat a measure of courage and composure.
• Turbulent times afford each one of us an opportunity to demonstrate a higher level of personal leadership when we need each other most. 

We can all borrow a page from Franklin Roosevelt's playbook. His refusal to bend in the face of real or imagined threats was core to the legacy he established during his 4,422 days as America's commander-in-chief.

Each one of us can make a leadership decision and refuse to let Fear stand in our path. 

And find new ways to move forward with unbridled confidence in our future, based on our convictions from exploring rich lessons and great leaders of the past. 

"The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything” FRANK SINATRA

p.s… An age-old question on the subject of leadership is whether the times define a leader or does a leader define the times? During this global pandemic, we all have an opportunity to experience those answers with the personal choices we make in the days and weeks ahead. One of the best examples of what that looks like comes from the President & CEO of Marriott International, Arne Sorenson. It's well worth the entire watch as you see Arne promise his own version of a New Deal for the Marriott team, its customers and community.

Like Arne, each one of us now has new opportunities to perform actions and express feelings we never had to before. Here is a sampling of other things you can do:

• Demonstrate gratitude and show utmost respect for every public health worker and medical professional working in the front lines right now. They have an unimaginable task ahead of them. Don’t be the person who piles more on their already overloaded plate. Also, don't miss a chance to express thanks to a trucker. Anything and everything you have in your home is because a truck driver got it there. "If you bought it, a truck brought it".
• Do whatever is needed to maintain a social distance and help flatten the curve. Maintain perspective. It’s not like we’re going off to fight a world war. We’re being asked to hang out with family and do more binge-watching than usual.
• Show support for small business everywhere and make buying choices that reflect your personal care for the economy. I am fairly certain the big guys and the banks will be OK. Small business is the backbone of our entire economy.
• Learn something new. Expand your intellectual and creative horizons. Enroll in a Master Class, watch TED Talks or dive into those classic books you have always intended to read. Pick up a pen or a paint brush and start making your own art. Grab a guitar and start jamming like Milwaukee Bucks star, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

• Find ways to pitch in and help out seniors who may have difficulty getting groceries.
• Maintain a positive attitude with your social media postings and avoid feeding the Corona Virus fear monster. Look for ways to be helpful, not hurtful. In other words, keep your private fears to yourself. Share your courage and optimism with others.
• Kick your fitness routine into high gear. No better time to lace up the running shoes and enjoy the great outdoors. Spend more time in the kitchen experimenting with new recipes. Finish restoring that antique car or the leftover projects still in the workshop. Purge the wardrobe. Organize your computer files. And while you are at it, clean out that messy garage and storage room once and for all!
• Enjoy time well wasted by gathering inspiration from the music and movies that touch you most. If you need some supplementary emotional backbone, watch Frankie belt this one out at MSG back in '74.

p.p.s. ... At this time, we want to be able to serve small to medium size business owners with an open heart and no strings attached. If you are facing a business or branding challenge that you are not quite sure how to handle, we’re only a click away.

p.p.p.s .... We will begin hosting a series of Facebook LIVE conversations over the next several weeks to support Business Leaders in these unpredictable times. Each segment will offer a new perspective on what is being done on the front lines from a variety of Business Leaders in a many different sectors. Bring your questions and join us on Facebook at noon EDT today (March 18, 2020). 

Get daily updates and continue the DISCUSSION on FACEBOOK or visit www.gairmaxwell.com

"Everything you can imagine is real"  PABLO PICASSO