Find your way back!

I have always loved reading about the history of rock-n-roll!  Rock-n-roll bands are just like any other group, team, or organization in that the relationships between individuals in the group ebb and flow.  It's rare that a band's members stay together for the entire lifetime of the band (of course there are always exceptions).  As one notable example, look at the evolution of the rock-n-roll supergroup "Jefferson Starship".  The rock-n-roll band "Jefferson Airplane" was founded in San Francisco in 1965.  They famously appeared at Woodstock and had a number of hits, including "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit".  Due to creative differences, the band split into two groups in 1974 - "Jefferson Starship" and "Hot Tuna".  One of the former's hits was the song, "Find Your Way Back", released in 1981.  It is this exact song that came to mind when I read the following quote by the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius, from his book Meditations:

"When forced, as it seems, by circumstances into utter confusion, get a hold of yourself quickly.  Don't be locked out of the rhythm any longer than necessary.  You'll be able to keep the beat if you are constantly returning to it."

Life is full of surprises.  There are always going to be times when things don't go as planned.  We may wake up one morning to find that our car has a dead battery and doesn't start.  We may have to change a flat tire on our drive to the beach.  As leaders, we may have to deal with the unexpected departure of one our key employees.  These are the little surprises that we experience on an almost daily basis.  But then there are the so-called "black swan" events that we have to deal with too.  As the last two years have so clearly highlighted, as leaders we are going to have to deal with events such as natural disasters, cyber attacks, or even a generation-defining worldwide pandemic.

The important aspect to all of this is that we can't let chaos reign supreme.  What matters is that we bounce back quickly.  The synonyms for the word "resilience" include flexibility, pliability, give, spring, elasticity, and plasticity.  What do all of these words have in common (other than being synonyms for resilience)?  They all involve bouncing back.  Whenever we encounter a difficult time in our lives - either personally or professionally - the key is that we find our way back to our baseline.  Find your way back.