Disengagement is the best strategy to quell the temptation for overreach and overdoing. 

Founders, especially have the tendencies to unconsciously usurp more control and power beyond their capabilities and their mandates within their organizations. 

The best thing to do with disengagement is to completely pull away, when new leadership is established and a new mandate for them had been set up. The old guards must vacate not just physically but emotionally and ceremoniously so that their influence and their previous ideas of "how things should be done" no longer can sway the organization.

Believing that the organization will exist, will prosper, will evolve in new and exciting ways is something that should be in the mindset of outgoing leaders.

This is tough for those that have cared for the organization for a number of years, invested all their lives nurturing its development, and letting-go seemed to be a case of 'midlife crisis.' 

The question for leaders hanging-on is that: would the organization best served if you continue in your role or when you go? If the answer is, they don't know.

They haven't been doing their homework thinking about accelerating goals.

​Before you can  reach the next mountain, you have to abandon the pretty hills on the way.

What can I say? These past few weeks have been hectic. More than that, there are many opportunities that are presenting itself without much effort. 

The lockdown and the social distancing have caused a resurgence of the desire to connect at a deeper level, whether it is business or personal, which was never seen before. 

Speed is everything. Things are moving fast from all directions. People want instant, immediate, almost real-time action and attitude towards approaching challenges and turning them into solutions. 

There is a plethora of resources and information but what we are seeing is that, business leaders are turning to people they trust and they can work with to get over the humps to get better at adapting to the current climate.

Despite the sad prognosis about the economy, Zoom, Fedex, Amazon, Google, Twitter, and other tech companies are laughing their way to the banks. 

Are you positioning yourself to capture the opportunities this new wave is presenting? It's positioning. 

What are you doing to ensure that you are top-of-mind and leading the market? It's your actions. 

What innovations are you doing right now to help ride the crest and come out stronger when things get better? It's your strength. 

Who do you think you are that makes you the best person to reap success? It's all about mindset.

There are things in life that you can't control so you wait it out until it gets better or it gets out of the way.

Most of the time, waiting it out is counterproductive and can do you more harm than good.

Being in the fence about what is going on around you or going on in your business/organization is reneging on your responsibility to take action when it matters.

Lawsuits can be avoided if management had taken concrete steps or actions to ensure that a valid complaint is dealt with and that people who are accountable are called out for their behaviors.

Waiting for things to naturally acquiesce on your favor is like waiting for $100 dollar bill to be found while you are walking down the street. The probability of that is very slim. It is called luck for a reason.

Now that the COVID-19 they say has reached its peak and that measures can be lifted in a few weeks is not a product of waiting, it's a product of conscientious efforts by a lot of actors, the authorities and people who have to cooperate every day to stem the tide of the epidemic. 

A conversation I had a few weeks ago sums up this point:" if you stir the boat, you will get nothing."

I say" if you don't stir the boat, you will end up with nothing." 

The latter affords you the initiative to take action and take responsibility for your lot. The former gives the other party the onus to either decide on your favor or not. 

Choose the action that affirms your purpose and never let another person or situation control how you behave.

With waiting, you are leaving a lot of resources and decision-making powers on the table that can, otherwise, minimize your risks and accelerate your progress. 

Take action right now.

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The COVID-19 crisis however, unprecedented in scope and gravity, is not a new phenomenon.

We have SARS, Ebola, Zaika, and other epidemics throughout the recent years and countries who have underserved and underfunded health structures collapsed under the weight of the health demands of populations who are sick and needed medical care and attention.

While here in Canada and other developed countries, there are aid packages for businesses and workers that are hit by the crisis, poorer countries have nothing to resort to cushion their economies and their people from economic ruin due to collapse of trade and commerce and mobility of people, goods, and ideas. 

We do not appreciate that we have the resources and the will to ensure that our economy and country withstand this crisis. We have to cooperate and lend our support to those that are more vulnerable and can easily succumb to harder situations. Even in our communities, there are pockets of deep poverty and isolation. There are many ways to touch them  and it's not always about money.

This is the time when all these talks about charity and benevolence must be demonstrated. Lest, we become the noise that nobody wants to hear. It is even useless to complain when we know that there are more suffering in other places. 

When you think about it, there are more opportunities that have opened up for us to become more united, accepting, and kind to one another.

Embrace the challenge or move out the way.

I don't know who started this in the provinces but travelling outside of the Canadian province which you are based on, can get you to be quarantined for 14 days too not just for international flights.

This policy is part of the 'overabundance of caution' that propels everyone to do the self-isolation without feeling the symptoms from the COVID-19 virus. They said that the symptoms can surface within 4-5 days after travelling and it is prudent to stay at home within those days.

The part that struck me the most was the information being peddled around that children can supposedly 'carriers' of the virus without them getting sick or feeling sick. How can one determine that unless the child has been tested officially? How can one say that the child can be a carrier so social distancing is no longer an option but a must? What is the best scientific evidence behind this assertion? 

Testings are those who are considered vulnerable, have history of international flights to areas where the virus is prevalent or exhibiting symptoms of the disease. For regular folks who are not feeling it, it is just best to do social distancing and refrain from going to crowded places where exposure is high. With this, only through testing can you officially know that you are positive or negative. 

People are dying with regular flu, other communicable diseases, and illness from cancers, hyper-tension, lungs, and liver complications. These diseases are the underlying causes of deaths from COVID-19 where seniors, small children, and people with complicated health issues are the most vulnerable.

We cannot be too blind and ignorant to follow anything that is said on the media or told by our relations. We have to question the premise and see if it fits the overall evidence paradigm presented to us by the public health authorities. 

We cannot allow paranoia to creep into our strategies to curb out the spread of the virus. We should stop hoarding and stop panic buying so that those who are in real need can get their supplies without hassle.  

The ugly head of division, hatred, and exclusion, and anti-Chinese statements are coming out now and we need to put a stop to these fear-based reactions. 

You cannot lead from a fear-based perspective. 

As professionals and workers in the marketplace, we put our best selves forward many times until we hit a breakthrough and get better at our craft. We continue to pound the pavement, get through the adversities, and refuse to be intimidated by we call the 'baptism of fire.' As the saying goes, if you are not failing, you are not trying enough.


Well said. But your next best hit is something that is totally unknown to you. Artists, professionals, experts would say time and time again, that they don't know why did their career moved to the direction unbeknownst to them. It as if, the fate, the universe, or the invisible Hand had guided the opening of certain doors and the closing of some.

​We can always improvise but there is no way to predict the outcomes of certain projects, initiatives, plans, and situations. We can be persistent which is a good substitute for talent and innate abilities. To do that, would mean to be able to prepare in high season and in low, monotonous cycles where no one seems to care. It is that instance, that we gear up for the inevitable, the crashing of walls of resistance, the slow-motion towards the fulfillment of goals, and the gratitude when success is imminent. 

My high school journalism teacher said, "the higher the objective, the sweeter the triumph." The more difficult the task, the sweeter the reward. He prodded us to meet the challenges of difficult writing assignments and roles, beating the deadline, working on our drafts, preparing to write professionally and with passion, and being able to face corrections for our good. I still remember that teacher. He was a turbo-charged nudge, always ready to look at our first initial drafts (which were always not good!) without condescension. Our first school publication bearing our names in the editorial box was the first for me, the real meaning of 'credit.' You give credit where credit is due. 

You must assume that success is not final and that failure is never fatal. You have to be skeptical about overnight, landslide victories and be equally level-headed when things don't go right for you.
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