The marketer in me has named the events of this week “Corona Mania” as the world seems to have gone crazy over the spreading of the novel coronavirus. Think what you want about the illness and hysteria, but the bottom line is it has rattled consumer confidence and shaken the stock market to its core much like someone holding you upside down and shaking all the change out of your pockets.
While every time my phone now rings now it is usually a situation of chaos either from a client or from the office, I am reminded of a couple of sayings that people have taught me over the years that are comforting in times like these.
“When the going gets tough – the weird turn pro” (Dennis Johnson)
Dennis has been around me my entire career, and when recessions hit or tsunamis take away inventory for dealerships for months or gas climbs to $5 a gallon, there is Dennis always with a smile on his face saying this is the time “when the going gets tough – the weird turn pro.” Meaning that this is when really weird and creative people are able to turn on another gear that allows them to stay out ahead of everyone. It has been a guiding wisdom that I have used many times in the past on days when you just think things are too tough.
“You have to remain calm when everyone around you is acting crazy” (Mike Strong)
Coming from a guy who went out on his own to start his own company only to learn a couple weeks later his wife was pregnant and then a few months later there was an oil embargo, Mike has weathered a lot of crisis in his career. In talking to him today, he reminded me that when everything is going wrong around you and people are panicking and acting crazy, you have to be calm. I remember when 9/11 happened and I was in college and called him to ask what to do, it was the calmest I ever remember him being. He gave me very simple instructions, told me what to expect and then said call back anytime I was afraid. One of the most intense people I know taught me how to be the calmest person in the room when things get crazy.
“Tough times never last, but tough people do” (General Patton)
Possibly the greatest military commander of all time who survived 2 world wars and pretty much sealed the defeat of Nazi Germany in the winter of 1945, General Patton was one tough individual. The stories about him being somewhat crazy are probably not too farfetched, but he definitely was one of the toughest men to ever fight for America and believed that tough times were only temporary and tough people would outlast them.
“A day doesn’t make a week, a week doesn’t make a month and a month doesn’t make a year” (James Hodge)
I met Mr. Hodge back in 2009 when we were just coming out of the recession. He had a number of dealerships and hired me at one of them first and said if I did a good job I would have a great career with him and if I didn’t he was going to fire me. After working for him for a while and creating a lot of success, one of his stores had a very bad month. Everybody thought it was the advertising, but he sat us all down and said “a day doesn’t make a week, a week doesn’t make a month and a month doesn’t make a year.” I have used that phrase at least a couple hundred times since he told that to me, and we’ve had a great partnership ever since. And now that he has passed on, his grandsons and I have an even closer bond.
All this to say that in a week with as much turmoil as this week has brought, words of wisdom like these are good to have floating around in the back of your mind during times of crisis.