How to Be Personally Resilient

I hope you’ve had a great week so far, and to make it even more fantastic, join me today at 12pm EST/9am PT/5pm GMT. I host a live interview show for Newsweek called “Better," and this week we will talk with the co-founders of Thinkers50 - a group that ranks the top management thinkers of the world. Des Dearlove and Stuart Crainer will join us to discuss business trends for 2021 and be taking questions from the audience. For an easy calendar reminder to join us, click here.

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One industry that has been severely impacted by the pandemic is theater. As a Broadway investor myself, I was eager to hear Tony-nominated lead producer Vivek Tiwary's thoughts on the state of the industry, and how businesses, in general, can remain resilient through these times. Here are a few key insights Vivek shared in our interview. If you’d like to view our talk in its entirety, you can watch the replay here.

Being a great leader during uncertainty:

In the early days of the pandemic, Tiwary recalls, “I think that we were woefully underprepared or under-informed in this country, especially. I don't think we really had the research or the intelligence, individually, to be able to realize that this wasn't going to be a few weeks. We need to do the research and figure out what it means: What is this pandemic all about? What has this looked like in other countries? How have other countries that have had outbreaks before dealt with it? Both from a country perspective as well as from a business and arts and entertainment perspective. Admit when you don't know something. I believe people appreciate being able to think, 'I heard from my lead producer and, you know what, he doesn't know either.' I think that was probably more comforting than being left in the dark.” 

On the future of theater after the pandemic:

"I believe that live streaming and live captures are reaching a place now where both audiences and creatives are beginning to think of this, not as a stop-gap or a way to get revenue but really as a new art form. To embrace the medium as its own medium. That's honestly where I think Broadway shows are heading. I think it's going to be in the next five or ten years as the world returns to whatever the new normal is. Both creatives and audiences will embrace these new technologies and new mediums for consuming the entertainment that they love, leading to new creative opportunities. It's not a replacement. It's a complement."

How to be personally resilient:

“Use this time to identify what you're most passionate about and, given the parameters of this new world that we live in, you can best do those things. If you're focusing on doing the things you love, you're also taking care of your anxiety. My wife is an anxiety researcher and she'll tell you, one of the key things about dealing with anxiety is focusing on the positive. Don't think about the negative things in your life. Focus on the positive things.”

Thank you for reading this week’s newsletter! Please leave a comment and share, and join us again next week, when I’ll be talking with Gabrielle Korn about overcoming imposter syndrome at work! Stay in touch with me as well by following me on Instagram for the newest pictures of my cat Phillip (and occasional surprise sightings of his brother, who is more shy).

Wishing you health and success - 

Dorie