Play the long game
Good morning good people
In this uncertain moment, we must do two seemingly contradictory things. Be completely present in this moment and play the long game. We need to be present in order to build the capabilities and stamina we need for the long haul. We need a long-term orientation because there are no quick solutions. There is no easy answer. The future will emerge through our systematic, patient, intentional work. There are no magicians here. Only leaders.
This Thursday South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa told us that we would be extending our lockdown for an additional two weeks, making it five weeks in total. As I reflected on the President’s speech, it occurred to me that he is a leader who knows the value of playing the long game.
In the 1980s, he became the general secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers growing it to be South Africa’s largest trade union. To organise mineworkers was to confront apartheid’s economic heart. He did so with courage and skill, leading several mammoth strikes. In doing so, he built a powerful organisation that was instrumental in bringing the apartheid government to its knees.
In the early 1990s, he became secretary-general of the ANC. He led the negotiations to establish our new democracy and the constitution that now guides us. Again, he built systems and values that would last long beyond himself.
In the mid-1990s he was passed over in favour of others. He exited active politics and became a successful businessman, only to return first as deputy-president and then ultimately to become South Africa’s president in 2018. I have no special knowledge of what negotiation skill underpinned his victory at the Nasrec conference, but I think it is fair to say it was formidable. He has adroitly balanced the needs of the moment with a long-term orientation to steadily inch South Africa back from the precipice of disaster.
It is that orientation that has given rise to the theme of today’s letter ‘focus on the long term’.
STRATEGY
John Elkann has one of the world’s coolest jobs. He is the chairman of Ferrari. That role comes to him via another role, that of chairman of Fiat Chrysler. In this Masters of Scale podcast, How to Build Your Company to Last, he speaks with Reid Hoffman about what it takes to sustain a company for more than 100 years.
At 28, after his grandfather and great uncle passed away, Elkann found himself mandated by his family to lead a turnaround at Fiat. He notes that “When things don’t go well in organizations, it’s quite revealing in how people behave. And what is incredible is the amount of abuse you have. I mean, how much money we ended up spending in consultants, in investment banks, in lawyers. Fiat, by then, was definitely very dysfunctional.”
Elkann went on to appoint Sergio Marchionne as CEO. Together they led Fiat’s recovery. He says that Marchionne had two special qualities. He had “very successful experiences in turning around complex organizations” and “was a truth-teller”. Both gave him the credibility to build the trust required to galvanise a turnaround.
Towards the end of the episode, Hoffman also looks at Radio Flyer and ABC Carpet and Home. He argues that a CEO’s capacity to consistently ask “Who are we?”- in order to return to essence – AND reinvent are key to successfully playing the long game. The anecdote detailing Radio Flyer’s move into tricycle manufacture, on its own makes this podcast worth listening to.
What is the essence of your business? How might you reinvent it in a way that carries that essence forward into this new world? Ask the same questions about yourself.
SELF
“If you can’t think, reflect and actively imagine your life into existence, you are condemned to a half-life of unconsciousness” (Thomas Moore).
With that in mind, try this simple journaling exercise. Write down the moments in your life that you thought you’d never overcome. Reflect on what joys you’ve experienced since that moment. Detail what actions you took to move beyond that moment of hardship. It will help you remember that hardship passes, and to reinforce your unique set of coping skills.
If you’re feeling ambitious you could enroll for this Science of Well Being course that is being offered by Yale and Coursera for free. Thank you to Alastair Teeling-Smith for bringing it to my attention. One of my clients is currently doing the course and loving it.
SOUL
Odysseus is undoubtedly one of literature’s greatest long-term players. He must overcome repeated tragedies and failures to return home to his loved ones.
Norman Fischer’s Sailing Home weaves wisdom from Buddhist, Christian, and Judaic traditions through the story of the Odyssey to give us a guide for navigating hardship.
He reminds us that “No life, even the greatest and the most fortunate, is without its disasters, which make the story interesting…sometimes disaster happens, with no rhyme or reason to it…Disaster is a deeply engrained feature of life and of time. It is natural and useful, even though we don’t like it. Although we think that happiness is the avoidance of disaster, in fact to be happy we need to recognize and appreciate disaster. To be happy in a meaningful way is to know how to face disaster and how to integrate it into our lives.”
This moment is disastrous and equally true is that if we integrate its lessons, if we stay present in this current moment and work systematically with soul and strategy for the long-term, we will emerge.
To those of you celebrating Pesach and Easter, I send you blessings and love.
Yours in hopeful happiness
Karl
(This letter was written and sent on 12/04/2020)