Crisis = Danger + Opportunity...Make the Most of it! 

During the 1960 presidential campaign John F. Kennedy was at the front of a very long line of speakers, politicians and leaders to deploy a now overused and misleading axiom that the chinese word for crisis is made up of the symbols for “danger” and “opportunity”. I’ve heard this multiple times during the current Covid-19 crisis and it got me doing a bit of digging. As it turns out, not only is the literary trope incorrect, it actually has a better, more significant meaning and application.

I do believe that every crisis is both fraught with danger and full of opportunity. Look at the recent crash of the stock market. For every dollar flowing out of your pocket, it’s flowing into someone else's. Every transaction needs a buyer and a seller. Those who could see into the future, read the tea leaves, had a gut instinct or however they did it, made billions, literally billions of dollars. Jeff Bezos sold 2.6 billion dollars in shares of his Amazon holdings just before the market tanked. Warren Buffet is famous for saying in relation to the stock market, “Be greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy”. So yes there is both danger and opportunity. 

No doubt you’ve experienced this in your own life too. The danger part is easy to see and feel. From the risk of you or your family getting sick, to the loss of income, to the restrictions on your mobility, to the swift and dramatic loss of retirement nest eggs, the danger is real. But you’ve likely experienced the opportunity in all this too. For me it’s an opportunity to rethink my business, to learn to pivot and innovate. It’s also time to connect on a deeper level with my kids and family. It’s a time to catch up on a mountain of reading and its been an opportunity (aka a kick in the pants) to get writing. It’s a chance to stop putting off all the things we said were important but couldn’t get to. You have your own list. 

But back to the chinese symbols that make up the word crisis. A simple check on Wikipedia confirmed that the character 危 (wēi/wéi) does indeed mean “dangerous” or “precarious”. However, the second symbol in context of the word "危机" (wēijī) means "a changing point" or "a confidential event". I think this is even better! It makes perfect sense.

Every crisis is a changing point. During this current crisis so many things are changing. The way we work, how we’re spending our social time, where we’re spending our time, the way we view our finances, the list goes on and on. Everything’s changing!. But what’s most exciting (for those of us who view change like a hands-up-rattle-your-teeth-loose, thrilling roller coaster ride) is that the change is happening WITHIN each of us. This is the real opportunity in the crisis. It’s not to profit more or catch up on our reading or vow to never over-spend on our credit cards again, it’s that we are changing from the inside out. The way I see the world, my business, my finances, how I value my friends and freedom and the food in my fridge, all of this is changing. Maybe for you it’s painful, that’s part of the process my friend. But nevertheless, things are changing. You have two options, treat the change as friend or foe. But it’s all changing regardless. Pain comes from hanging on to something past its expiry date. 

So the next time you hear someone trying to impress others with their linguistic cultural acumen and brilliance, just smile and nod. Think to yourself, “you’re right, there is both danger and opportunity, but for me the opportunity is embracing the change, in moving forward in a new way that otherwise I would never have found or had the courage to move into”. And then for you alone, you will have truly fulfilled the ancient chinese meaning. It will be both a “changing point” and a “confidential event. In that, there is limitless opportunity

Mark Frezell has been “Helping Leaders Lead” for over 25 years. He has led, inspired and mentored executives to front-line leaders. He can help you tap into your own leadership potential, find your leadership voice and develop your unique leadership brand. Contact Mark at MarkFrezell.com or [email protected]