Heroes are born in Challenging Times

By Prisca Michael ~ Project Coordinator, Empower on 19 Apr 2020Leadership

We are faced with uncertainties everyday while others are catastrophic and affect the whole world, others are more personal and affect our industry, company, department or even family. Just in the past 12 years as a world, we have gone through a number of ground shaking uncertainties. From the 2008 global financial crisis, 2009 H1N1 Influenza pandemic, 2014 and 2019 Ebola Outbreaks in Africa to a number of life-threatening hurricanes, earthquakes, and even nuclear attacks. Without forgetting the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. More and more of these events are proving that the world is interconnected and a crisis in one place is very likely to affect the whole world in social and economic ways.

But one thing for sure is that as a world we have survived all those crises and pandemics. Yes, people were affected, and lives were lost but also, we have come out of each crisis stronger. Some crises even provided opportunities for new companies to emerge, a new way of life and betterment of health services. We have proven as a human race that when we come together, treat each other better then we can do all we set our minds to and can rise up after facing a pandemic or crisis.

These are uncertain times from a healthy, social and even economic perspective and even though each day we are learning something new, we are not yet sure where this will lead and how the world as we know it will be affected.

But how do you become a hero in these times? They say there are opportunities in every challenge, so how can you look beyond the uncertainties and look to make a difference as an individual?

Someone once said, “It is easy to spot a yellow car when you are always looking for a yellow car”. Make sure in these times you are constantly asking yourself ‘what is the opportunity to do good’. Focus on what you CAN do instead of what you cannot. It can be offering a helping hand to someone in difficulty, introducing a new way of doing things at your workplace or even making sure you are washing your hands. For an individual, it may be a chance to learn a new skill, teach an online class and share positive information. Be in the lookout for opportunities to make a difference, because when there are uncertain times, people are scared, things are changing, and heroes emerge.

In these times make sure you communicate not only to your loved ones but also to people you work with and those in your network. First, this helps you to be aware of everyone's safety and it is important to know that you are not the only one who is worried or not sure about the future. This is the time to be vulnerable, share positive information and brainstorm ways to not only survive but thrive together.

If you are leading a team then definitely be more open to sharing feelings and updates of how each one is doing. It is time to be more supportive as a leader and welcome your team to journey with you in these times by giving their ideas and suggestions openly. 

Be positive, be flexible, believe the best and remember we are stronger together, you can be a hero by choosing to do good and this too shall past. 

By Prisca Michael ~ Project Coordinator, Empower