Prince's Diamonds & Pearls #113

Leadership in a Crisis

A guy named Bob had a problem and was in a crisis. He had to keep his company afloat during World War II. The business that Bob worked for sold a fizzy beverage. The drink was super popular too! The main ingredient that their drink needed was sugar. The problem was that during World War II, sugar was highly rationed and extremely expensive. This dilemma was bad for Bob and his company. To compound the issue, their company was already deep in debt.

Bob needed to find a way to make his product for less money, distribute it to way more people, and implement this change quickly! Bob possessed character qualities and key skills that would become essential to his future. One of these skills was leadership and he excelled at getting people to do what needed to be done. In his youth, Bob was a leader in every kind of club and organization there was, from the drama club to the football team. After dropping out of college, Bob worked his way up from being a simple laborer to a machinist apprentice, then to an assistant stock clerk, to a purchasing agent, and he also transitioned into a sales agent. Through determination and hard work, Bob climbed the ladder to Vice-President and eventually CEO of a new soft drink company. He had arrived! However, shortly after, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

The war threatened his fizzy drink business. Financially, the business was doomed. Fortunately, Bob was a resourceful guy. He was innovative and unfazed by the surprise and challenge. When the US entered World War II, Bob rose to the occasion. He made a bold and audacious promise. He stated that every single soldier on the front lines would get his drink for only $0.05…no matter how much it cost him to make. He promised that wherever American soldiers were in the world, they could count on having “A Little Taste of Home.” This was truly an audacious declaration since the company was already deeply in debt.

Surprisingly, it paid off! Bob received a call from a superfan of his soft drink. The caller heard about Bob’s promise. The caller was General Dwight David Eisenhower, who served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe during World War II. Eisenhower wanted to support Bob in his American promise. General Eisenhower asked Bob to build 10 bottling plants along with 3 million bottles of his drink with the American government paying for everything. Within 6 months, the first plant opened near the front lines. Eventually the United State government paid for the cost of 64 additional plants along the European and Pacific fronts. To fulfill such a massive order, Bob’s company was given all the sugar that it needed. PROBLEM SOLVED AND COMPANY SAVED!!! And an icon is made. Bob’s drink would eventually be called “America’s Real Choice” and “The Official Soft Drink of Summer”. His drink became one of the most influential brands in the history of the world. This drink is Coca-Cola and Bob was Robert Winship Woodruff.

LEADERSHIP ACTIONS IN A CRISIS

1. In times of extraordinary crisis, you must act extraordinarily!

Bob could’ve just retreated, like everyone expected him to. He could’ve hunkered down, cut expenses, weathered the war, and attempted to rebuild afterwards. Yet Bob went big, and people noticed!

2. No Excuses

It doesn’t matter your business or industry. Coca-Cola wasn’t a necessary product during a World War. It was not at the top of anyone’s priority list at all. Yet due to Bob’s audacious, he made his product a wartime necessity and following the war instituted a worldwide household name.

3. Something good can be made from something bad

Seeing an opportunity in adversity isn’t a skill. It’s just a choice. You don’t have to learn how to see the good in a bad situation or how to find the opportunity in adversity. You merely choose to do it. It’s not a pre-existing ability. You must choose to believe that something good can and does come out of everything that happens to you.

Learn from Bob’s story and choose to look for the good that can come from the bad. Don’t assume that your emotions will cooperate. The situation might upset you. People may be afraid or hurting. It’s perfectly fine to admit that “This Sucks!” However, quickly switch to “What can we learn from this situation?”, “What can we do given this new situation?”, and “How can we act boldly?”.

The first step in finding the good is choosing to see it. How has putting your emotions aside in a crisis benefitted you? Was your creativity, innovation, or progress ever halted because you overlooked the good in a dilemma? Share in the comments below.

“Seeing an opportunity in adversity isn’t a skill. It’s just a choice.” – Darren Hardy

References: Recession Proof Your Life and Business by Darren Hardy