‘Danger and opportunity’

The Chinese character which symbolizes crisis is made up of two parts that signify both danger and opportunity. This was one of my first lessons at the Asian Institute of Management in 2009.

Since then my perspective on how a crisis, most especially in the workplace, took a whole new turn. Having had the chance to work in government where my job was  to implement programs that would explain a vision geared toward growth and change, a crisis was always ever so present.

Through the years a critical moment became a chance for me to make a shift most especially in the way I would respond. I always loved the idea of thinking “out-of-the-box” and surely a crisis exposes one to get out of the usual fight or flight mode while learning to overcome something beyond face value.

The typical resilient trait of the Filipino shows the strength of the individual. Combining this with an open mind for example  would  initiate more people to discover out-of-the box solutions to challenges that may appear impossible to solve. 

History shows us how strong leaders transformed their countries despite the odds. While a critical point is more often than not expected to develop for the worse, a shift in response allows us to look for solutions.

Although by nature a crisis often hits my nerves first, I have slowly learned to turn this more “normal” reaction into an opportunity where judgement, critical thinking and timing could play a significant part in progress.

Surely this can be easier said than done, but with practice all you need to do is take a deep breath – and make that shift.