Life is Precious. A Leadership Lesson in Four Parts

What does a 70+ year-old farmer, a tiger, a tornado, and an ancient philosopher have in common?? It sounds like a set-up for a joke, but these four things combined this past week to provide some well-needed perspective as we head into our busy planting season.

The Farmer. ?I spent three days this past week with our team and a number of growers in eastern Arkansas.? What struck me over the course of the conversations was the perspective and wisdom of the older farmers, a number of whom were farming into their seventh decades.? I define wisdom as experience + learning.? These wise, older growers had clearly been through a whole lot of challenges throughout the course of their long lives and have come out stronger.? As a result, they approached the wet, cold days with almost a nonchalant attitude.? It wasn’t that they didn’t care – it was their life’s work after all – but they had a quiet confidence in themselves and Mother Nature, born from having lived through so many tough times, finding a way to still thrive.

I compared their attitudes to my own emotional state of late, which has been a stark contrast, as I sit full of angst.? Our results are well behind last year.? Intellectually, I knew it was coming; you don’t hit grand slams every time you step up to the plate.? I am also satisfied we are?doing everything we can under the circumstances. Emotionally, however, it is tough.? I struggle not to worry about the near future and all that might or might not happen.? Worse, my angst has impacted my team and is not something I am terribly proud of.? Talking to the wise, older farmers provided a well-needed sense of perspective.??

The Tigers.? I then had the opportunity to take a vacation day on Friday and drive up to Louisville, Kentucky, to watch the Princeton Tigers men’s basketball team play in the Sweet Sixteen.? By some small miracle, the non-scholarship #15 seed Tigers had upset #2 seed Arizona and #7 seed Missouri to advance to the tournament’s second weekend.? The last time Princeton made the sweet sixteen was 1967.? What made the night so much fun was not the actual game (we lost) but being one of a few thousand geeks dressed in ridiculous orange and black.? The energy was amazing as we reveled in the unexpected opportunity to reconnect with classmates and celebrate what was for us, very possibly, a once-in-a-lifetime game.? It was so much fun that despite the loss, many of us returned to the same bar to dance the night away.? I woke up Saturday morning horse, slightly hung-over and happy.

The Tornadoes.? My happiness quickly turned to dismay as I woke Saturday morning and saw the texts from colleagues and friends about the deadly tornadoes which rocked Mississippi in the pre-dawn hours.? It barely missed our location in Rolling Fork. While GreenPoint employees avoided serious issues, the devastation razed the town and stole dozens of lives in the middle of the night.? The destruction is difficult to fathom.? The team had been scrambling since the predawn hours to account for everyone and organize a quick response to get supplies to those in need. I felt both pride and guilt. I was proud of the team but felt guilty for sleeping through the first several hours and being so happy when others were so sad.

Why was I allowed to dance the night away while others had their lives, their homes, and their towns ripped away???

The Philosopher.? It was then that I saw the book I’d brought with me on the hotel nightstand – Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.? Aurelius ruled the Roman Empire for nearly two decades starting in 161 A.D. and is largely considered one of Rome’s greatest leaders. Meditations is not actually a book but a series of journal entries by Aurelius, extolling himself to be the best leader he could be.? The book is relevant because Aurelius was a stoic by training.? Contrary to the popular definition of stoics as people who show no emotion, stoicism is a philosophy based on the understanding that so much of what happens in our world – good, bad, amazing, and devastating – is beyond our control.? The only thing we can control is our reaction to them.? In other words, don’t sweat the small stuff.? And it’s all small stuff.? As Aurelius reminded himself, “Forget everything else. Keep hold of this alone and remember it:? Each of us lives only now, this brief instant. The rest has been lived already, or is impossible to see. The span we live is small–small as the corner of the earth in which we live it.”

Life is precious.? So much of it is beyond our control.? When the rains stop and the planting starts. Whether our teams win or lose.? Whether tragedy strikes us in the middle of the night or spares us completely.? Marcus Aurelius said it well. “And until our time comes? Honor and revere the Gods, treat human beings as they deserve, be tolerant of others and strict with yourself. Remember nothing belongs to you but your flesh and blood – and nothing else is under your control.”?

The lesson:? Take time to enjoy the moment.? It’s the only one you have. Whether you’re waiting for the work to begin or slammed with an early morning and late night because it’s already begun.? Maybe it is a beautiful sunset, the lighter shade of green on a newly budding leaf, a hug from a loved one, or grieving with family and friends over unimaginable tragedy.? All of it is part of life.??

Finally, for those impacted by the tornado in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, I offer the following prayer I heard this week.

May you have strength in the face of any pain and suffering you are experiencing right now.

May you be free from anger or sadness.

May you be open to receiving others’ love and care.

May you be filled with compassion for yourself and others.

Onward!

Jeff

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