Harvard Business Publishing

Adversity is a true divider: the same event can bring out the very best or the very worst in people. I personally experienced this truth when the condominium building I lived in was shaken nearly to the ground by the 1994 Northridge earthquake. How each resident/owner in the building chose to react to this catastrophe revealed volumes about their character. Some were altruistic, others practical minded about working toward the common good, and a few became violently combative and self-serving. I realized that, while none of us had any control over the event, each of us had total control over how we personally chose to respond.

This article is a breath of fresh air.

We need to hear more about the ‘good corporate citizens’ and individuals who do the right thing. Media resources seem heavily skewed toward unethical business practices and the executives responsible. Truly it is critical that we be kept aware of the dangerous unethical and negligent occurrences that could impact our lives. I also wish to have frequent reminders of policies and actions that I can learn from and can be proud of.

Thank you for showing me the bright side of top corporate leadership Dr. Goulston. Please keep your articles coming.

What a great perspective on leadership. It reminds me of a similar situation where all Hell broke loose at one of our stores and our CEO recognized that outcomes are so built on the performance of "mere mortals." With this recognition, one realizes that "mere mortals" are enccouraged to take chances and if some decisions go bad it is okay as long as a lesson is learned and the "mere mortal" is encouraged to take another swing.

Leon

I worked at J&J in the 1980's and remember when James Burke pulled Tylenol off the shelves. After reading this blog it gave me pause to remember those times, him and why I was so proud to work for both. Thanks for making my day.

The comment made by Robert that "adversity is a true divider" reminded me of living through the SARS experience in Toronto. Some people simply rose to the occasion, stepped up to the plate and became wonderful leaders. Others floundered and failed miserably. It was a true reflection of people's real abilities.

Denise
Toronto, Ontario

Wow. Great piece, really makes you think about what being a leader means in it's truest sense. Adhering to your core values and doing the right thing. Many of us learn more and grow more as a result of the way in which we choose to handle adversity than we do reaching our goals and objecties in a fashion that doesn't truly challenge us.

I love it! I've got a great story for you about something that just happened:

FIRST, A LITTLE BACKGROUND...
Alex von Allmen is founder of a startup company called Ponders & Principles (http://www.ponders.biz). Ponders had developed a software called Ponder Pearls that shows up every morning with quotes that are funny/entertaining/inspirational... basically to get you thinking... and get your day off to a good start.

Companies give it to their clients as a way to do something nice... and to stay in front of them in a positive & uplifting way... it's branded with their logo. The sponsoring company gets 365 impressions of their brand and their clients get awesome food for thought... and Ponders gets money from the sponsoring company.

THE CRISIS
Ponders had landed it's first Fortune 500 account. Regional management wanted to use Ponder Pearls as both a marketing tool to keep in front of clients and as training tool for their staff. And then the hammer of I.T. came down.

I.T. would not allow Ponder Pearls to be installed on internal computers. Alex and his development team went to huge lengths to show how Ponder Pearls could not do damage and wasn't spyware or anything remotely close. But they didn't change their mind.

So Ponder Pearls could not be used internally by their sales team... which made it hard for them to give it to their clients. I mean, how do you ask others to use something you're not using yourself? In short, the entire (potentially multi-million dollar) account was in danger... which would have deeper impact than just loss of revenue. It could have changed the mindset of investors & other partners.

HERE'S HOW IT UNFOLDED...
Instead of freaking out, Alex started thinking of ways to apply band-aide to the situation. And the Web Edition of Ponder Pearls was born. The new version is available online to people, integrates with Google and features the same great content. The audacious goal is to become the home page of choice.

Last week they launched the new product and it has the potential to be 10x bigger than the original desktop version... and create more value for the end-user, the sponsor and Ponders & Principles.

What started as bandaide is turning into possibly the flagship product. They are now in talks with several large companies for using Ponder Pearls as both a training and marketing tool. These conversations would not have been possible without "outside the crisis thinking" by Alex & his team.

PS: When I called Alex to ask permission to post this comment, he added that "It was a great moment [of clear thinking] for him".

(Full Disclosure: I am reseller of Ponders & Principles.)

Billy's post (the first comment) reminded me of the 1994 earthquake in Los Angeles when the building in which my office was located was completely destroyed. I kept saying those words, "Don't do anything to make things worse," and I kept my psychotherapy practice going even though I did it out of other people's offices.

Something that was very uncomfortable was when my patients showed they cared about me and would ask, "Are you doing okay?" and I would start to tear up. Several of them told me that it was very therapeutic for them to view me as "real" and to care about me. After that, I just learned to say, "Thank you, I appreciate your asking" instead of waving them off or saying, "I was fine" when I wasn't. As a leader during tough times, when your people care about you and express it, instead of telling them not to, you might want to learn to accept it and thank them.

This piece is extraordinary. Thank you Dr. Mark Goulston.