We MUST

“It is no use saying ‘we are doing our best.’ You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.”-- Sir Winston Churchill

Churchill is one of my long time favorites, but I promise this will not become a Churchill quote forum (though he certainly provides plenty of material).

I pulled this one from some reading last night, and it struck me as particularly meaningful in these times. We all have to find a way to summon the resolve to succeed at what is necessary – not just do ‘our best.’ These are trying times, and we will undoubtedly see even tougher circumstances in the days ahead. But we need to determine what we MUST succeed at over the coming weeks and months, then summon the will and find the team to make it happen.

Let’s all make sure we focus intently on identifying what we MUST do, and what we can do – for our families, our people, our clients and our communities – and then get after those things. We have a bright future as individuals, as an organization, as communities and as humanity, but grabbing that future requires an ardent will. People need to see, and even more importantly these days, hear that will.

Some of you might remember Admiral James Stockdale – he was Ross Perot’s VP running mate in 1992, a war hero and former prisoner of war, and also gained some notoriety in Jim Collins’ Good to Great. In a conversation with Collins, incorporated into the book, Stockdale commented on his time as a prisoner of war:

“I never lost faith in the end of the story, I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade.”

Be safe, be well, and be focused on what we MUST do!

Best,

Jay

*I’m now posting excerpts from daily messages to some of JLL’s leadership team, hoping others can find doses of hope and inspiration in the words. We’re all in this together.