MANAGEMENT
Snapshots Of 2020 : Uncertainty , Turbulence , And Luck
By Vincent Oduor
When the year 2020 began , the whole world ushered it in with pomp and glamour ; like any other new year , the excitement was in the air for both individuals and corporates . However , as we moved towards the end of quota one , uncertainty , fear and panic set in . Covid-19 pandemic had hit every corner of the globe . Governments world over began to put partial lock-downs and other strict virus containment measures in place . Fear Spread across the world as many deaths were witnessed in Europe and other parts of the world . In this piece , I felt obliged to reflect on Uncertainty , Turbulence and Luck as they unfolded in the year , putting managerial lessons learnt into perspective .
Uncertainty
There is no doubt that across the universe , humanity has never been faced with high levels of uncertainty as witnessed when the coronavirus scare swept across the globe in the early 2020 . At Individual and corporate level , the uncertainty had different impacts . The pessimists , optimists and the pragmatics all had different views in the face of this situation . The pessimists saw doom and gloom ahead ; the optimist saw the dawn of a new world order loaded with opportunities to unpack while the pragmatist reconciled the fears and the opportunities presented by the scenario at hand and purposed to weather the storm albeit cautiously .
Peter L . Bernstein said “ We cannot predict the future , but we can create it ”. Uncertainty also known as the fear of the unknown is therefore one of those mysteries that are embedded in humanity that we have to live with in this unpredictable world ; how we confront uncertainty determines whether we are victors or losers individually or collectively .
Therefore , the big question we need to ask ourselves then is , why do some personalities and companies thrive during uncertain moments ? Jim Collins and Morten T . Hansen in their attempt to unravel this phenomenon noted that some companies and leaders navigate this type of world exceptionally well . They don ’ t merely react ; they create ; they don ’ t
Tenacity which is the quality of being determined or persistence is a persona we must possess during times of turbulence . If we lose grip of our mantra , we fall ; we must always therefore remain committed to our core objectives . The strategies of achieving the goals may change but the goal remains the same . merely survive ; they prevail . They don ’ t merely succeed ; they thrive . They build great enterprises that can endure . Put in a simplistic way , this resilience is therefore a mindset game . It is a mindset that needs to be built early in life and progressively developed within an individual or in corporate culture .
Whereas chaos , uncertainty , and instability are not necessarily good for a business , companies , leaders , organizations and societies can thrive in it as witnessed during this challenging period . Envisage individuals or corporates who thrived during this pandemic and analyze their persona . The outstanding traits that come to mind are courage which is the ability to do something that frightens one and optimism - an attitude reflecting a belief or hope that the outcome of some specific endeavor , or outcomes in general , will be positive , favorable , and desirable .
In the face of uncertainty , let ’ s gather courage and always remain optimistic that there is always a bright side to every situation . God ' s Word is a consistent force of sustenance in our lives in the midst of disorder and confusion . Sometimes , it might be the only thing that gets you through but it will always get you through . The Holly Books captions this in Matthew 6:26 " Look at the birds of the air ; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns , and yet your heavenly Father feeds them . Are you not much more valuable than they ?"
Turbulence
Picture yourself being in a plane cruising smoothly at altitude X Meters above the sea level and then without the Pilot ’ s prior warning , you get into a horrific turbulence .
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