“Things More Like They Way They Are Now – Than They Ever Were Before”

The quote credited to President Dwight David Eisenhower – however, there is some debate about whether he actually said this. Regardless, it describes what leaders today feel and are grappling with- even if the phrase seems to be a bit tortured. Adapting to change and dealing with uncertainty are the two most significant challenges all leaders face – and at this moment, the challenges feel as extreme as they ever have.

But in many respects, aren’t the challenges and opportunities just as they have always been? Those who are informed, prepared, and courageous find ways to steer clear or out of trouble faster and more frequently than those who don’t or can’t.

There is no shortage of resources offering advice on what to do in virtually any circumstance – and there are very few places a person can discover who they must be to do what you must.

Whenever business leaders gather to solve problems – it is always human beings who show up around the table.

Their titles and positions in the world become insignificant. What matters is the discourse and how effectively they interrogate reality. The quality of our questions determines the value of the solutions.  The ability to listen for answers that go beyond the surface tend to solve the real problems.

The challenges of the past year – and those likely to continue well into this new year – share all the perennial concerns of fiscal management (especially cash), market insight, competitive positioning, favorable sourcing, talent acquisition, and development and adapting to both the change we can and cannot anticipate.

The thing that is most different right now is the human toll stemming from the physical separation that the past year has demanded of people in general. While leaders may know and be accustomed to coping with isolation – the human spirit is still profoundly impacted by our need for deep connection. Understanding the suffering doesn’t make it any better.

And while leaders are accustomed to managing and leading people through uncertainty – the vastness of the uncertainties we face is now more palpable to more people – including those I’ll-equipped to work with and through it. It is why capable leaders are most needed now for moving us forward. The fear of uncertainty can freeze people in their tracks – halting the momentum that drives human advancement.

We need to keep moving—especially those who have the responsibility to lead others.

Keeping us moving forward isn’t just helping people find ways to be more human in the face of their fears – but also in assisting them to focus on how (and who)  they need to be – at least as much as we help them figure out what they must be doing.

Part of the solution to addressing the challenges we face is a matter of planning and preparation. What is it that you must accomplish in the months ahead – or perhaps the next 30 days to keep or regain your forward momentum? What is it that you need to accomplish what matters most? And, what do you need to be, meaning how will you muster the wisdom, strength, and determination to do whatever you must do?

These are the same questions we need to ask in both good times and bad. And today, as always, there are opportunities to be found in the challenges we face and challenges that define the opportunities. Things are neither good nor bad – they are as they have always been, defined by the beholder. You choose how to make meaning of your circumstances and what to do with what you make of things.

There is a silver lining for those who feel the weight of adapting to the world we find ourselves in today.

It is always in the significantly meaningful things we accomplish that we find the moments of overwhelming joy; MoJo. There is a great deal to be accomplished and enormous satisfaction to be discovered by those who do.

Are things more like they are now than they have ever been before?  If that speaks to the enormous opportunities that surround us, I hope so. And if it means the significant challenges we also face, I am quite certain so. But history has shown us that the human spirit – especially when it fuels the entrepreneurial yearnings of human progress – keeps us moving forward towards better tomorrows.