Imposters
Fortune dressed as loss, loss dressed as luck — an ancient parable, a business meeting, and the wisdom to say 'maybe so, my friend.'
The Story
So, there I was in another glossy-fact-filled business meeting.
To be fair, where I work, they put a lot of effort into making every meeting — especially the ones with 4,000+ attendees worldwide — easy on the audience.
But if I’m honest, when deadlines are tight and the pressure is on, it’s tempting to keep my hands on the work and one eye on the proceedings.
Here’s an example of something that surprised me. As you can see, I was a little inspired.
Our CEO, Erhardt Preitauer, began speaking honestly about the hard realities of the managed care industry as they pertain to our mission. Then he shared an ancient parable. I thought I’d heard them all. I was wrong.
In his gentle, easy manner, Erhardt told the tale of “The Old Man Lost His Horse.” The link is worth your time to read.
If a situation looks bad — or if it looks good — we are wise not to be hasty in declaring it a tragedy or a blessing. When a neighbor says, “Oh, that’s bad news,” it may be best to respond with calm reservation:
“Maybe so, my friend.”
As the fable teaches, whether a thing is good or bad may not be decided until much later.
Be steady. Wait and see. A little farther on, things become much clearer.
The truth it illustrates runs deeper than a simple “silver lining” notion.
I, for one, decided to take this to heart. I’m glad I did.