I grew up in Central Texas. When May rolls around, the most active month of tornado season, I always think about the time a tornado came to visit our elementary school. You’ve probably heard those loud bells that go off in public places during an emergency. They are shrill and cold; the first thought is RUN… somewhere. That’s what our tornado alarm sounded and felt like, every child in class started screaming and you could see those ominous dark clouds getting darker somehow. Then the steady voice of our teacher rang out, clear and calm. “Kids, STOP, look at me, follow me in one line.” And we did, to the hallway where we knelt toward the wall as the rain, wind and noise passed us by. In those critical moments, that seemed like hours, our teacher continued to reaffirm to us that when this was over in a few minutes, we would be ok. While there was damage to the school, I am happy to report we were all ok and got a few extra days off!

It’s like that sometimes. Crazy and uncontrollable forces come to us, bringing lots of noise. Kind of like the market plunge in May, a tornado of its own, sending the Dow Jones down to 2020 levels.  If there is not an able leadership voice, a clear message of how to move forward, or sometimes just acknowledgment of the situation. It can have the same effect as that school alarm – Panic… Do Something… Run…

You know what needs to be said, you know your team and your vision. For over 40 years, we have been helping our clients know HOW to say what is most important in the most critical times. Stop the noise, start engaging, and start inspiring.