Do the Next Right Thing

Over the course of the last several weeks it is really hard to believe all that has transpired and the speed at which it has happened. We went from a nation humming along with the news full of election cycle events, to one that is staring at daily news feeds and social media posts that are harrowing and otherwise unimaginable.  We went from factories that were pulsing, alive with people and production to darkened shops and floors.  Through it all we as human beings have shown resolve, courage, compassion and love.  Each day we get up, get dressed (I count sweatpants), and go to work and school (from home) to try and do what we can if even just to maintain some sanity. 

Having young kids, I watched Frozen II early on in my quarantine days, and leave it to Disney to have some amazing moral lessons in their storyline that could not be more timely. The one that struck me the most was this idea of doing the next right thing.  It's a seemingly simple adage, and yet so many of us get caught up in the details.  We want to know it's the best thing. We want to know it's the perfect thing.  We get mired in our thoughts and doubts and never act.  We get stuck in the "what ifs" and "not quite's".  If we have learned anything from these past few weeks, I hope we have learned that there is no perfect, there is just what is next and what is right. 

In our companies, I can definitely say that none of our leadership has ever experienced a crisis like we are facing.  There are no playbooks or crisis planning manuals that we can look to and study.  What exactly does one do in unprecedented times?  You listen, you learn, you plan, you adjust, you act, and then, wake up the next day and do it all again.  You make the best plan you can for today and then tomorrow comes and you throw out that plan and make a new best plan.  

What lies in the days ahead is still uncertain and will surely bring more unknowns and hard decisions. However, despite the uncertainty, I do know that our team, our small but mighty team, has led and continues to lead with steady hands and hearts through these exceptionally difficult times.  They continue to show up and do the next right thing.  For that I am grateful.  

One of my favorite quotes of all time was used by Brené Brown as a preface to her book titled, Daring Greatly.  If you are looking for a great read during this time I highly recommend it. I wanted to share that quote with you:

"It is not the critic who counts; 

not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, 

or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. 

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, 

whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; 

who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again...

who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, 

and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."  

- Theodore Roosevelt