Someone once said to me that it's far easier to talk about values than it is to live them. In times of crisis the values we've practiced and lived for years come to the forefront. Simply put, if we haven't been walking our talk a crisis will definitely illuminate a naked emperor. If I am truly intent on having my ideals be in motion a crisis can show me where I most need next to work.
I am currently working with a client company that for years has talked about caring about their customer's experience - how the customer feels about themselves when using their product and, of course, how their customer feels about their products and them as a company. As a result they have built a solid core of very loyal customers. Nothing particularly unusual in this except... In this current economic crisis they are, with great intention, looking at where they have been missing the mark. And, they are doing it in accordance with a set of internal values they have been practicing - key amongst them being Respect. This is helping ensure that there is no blaming for past misses. They have done the requisite cost cutting, have had painful layoffs and endured jarring restructuring. And they have done this with as much respect as they could bring to bear. The current economic crisis has illuminated both where they have been doing well and where there is room for improvement - internally and externally. They are literally defining their next opportunities as they make difficult choices that are in alignment with what they say is important.
Approached as an opportunity, with intention and mindfulness, a crisis can bring out the best in us. While there are never any guarantees in life, how we deal with crisis puts us in a far better position to come out the other side ready to thrive and grow.
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