Nick McRae
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 52
earn an income, run a business or simply
remain healthy requires different energy. I
am feeling firsthand the discomfort of set-
tling for virtual gatherings instead of vis-
iting with friends & family, but my heart
breaks for those that have lost loved ones
from the virus. Difficult times like these
remind us not to take things for granted
and prioritize the important things in life.
My leadership style will forever be
influenced by this outbreak. In a time of
uncertainty and information overload,
I’ve watched my mentors and role mod-
els remain calm, exude positivity and act
decisively, even when information is not
100% available. I am confident this will
be a timeless lesson for me, both person-
ally and professionally, regarding how I
practice gratitude during good times and
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May / June 2020
manage during the bad times. Perhaps this
is the very definition of leadership — con-
fident compassion.
I don’t know if we will ever be able to
fully quantify the impact of the COVID-19
outbreak, but it is certainly unclear as of
right now. What I will tell future genera-
tions about COVID-19 is a great question,
but I, just like other leaders in our com-
munity, am working on defining what the
future will look like during a very pliable
time. I believe many changes being made
will stay with us and shape the way we
operate our business, function in our com-
munity and communicate.
I am passionate about entrepreneurship
and innovation, so I am most impressed
with the quick pivots and adaptability I
have seen. Again, so much coming from
a base of strengths. This is a relatively
common activity for agile startups, but it
is truly inspiring to see many legacy indus-
tries and large institutions be so nimble,
adjust their strategies and even forgo prof-
its & other financial constraints to work
together helping others. Even during a dif-
ficult time, we are able to witness the most
tremendous parts of humanity — grace,
courage and patience.
I hope I am able to tell future generations
that, despite the tragedy that accompanied
this virus, it also brought our local/global
community together, humbled us by expos-
ing our vulnerabilities and made us stron-
ger because we worked together. At the end
of the day, these times give us pause to find
what in ourselves we can be most proud to
bring out.