Navigating beyond pandemics, wars, storms and fear
“We should not fret for what is past, nor should we be anxious about the future; men of discernment deal only with the present moment. “ - Chanakya
It’s never been more pertinent for humanity as whole to be men and women of discernment, especially when we’re living in an era of pandemics, rumours of wars, environmental disruption, fake news, orange journalism and widespread scepticism.
If you’re a corporate or business leader, entrepreneur, politician or public figure, you are also under the most amount of social scrutiny. Discernment and making sound judgements on the right thing to do, is therefore one of the most crucial skillsets you can have in their arsenal.
That said, what is discernment? How do we practice it? And how will it help in building your influence and credibility?
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, discernment is the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure. It is the ability to obtain sharp perceptions or to judge well In the case of judgment, and discernment can be psychological or moral in nature.
In its simplest definition, discernment is nothing more than the ability to decide between truth and error, right and wrong, and exercise right judgement and timing.
It’s also the process of making careful distinctions in our thinking about truth. In other words, the ability to think with discernment is synonymous with an ability to think strategically.
It is absolutely every leader’s responsibility to be discerning: it is simply not optional for a leader - it is required. Especially when it comes to being surrounded by yes people, many of whom say one thing and mean another. Discerning leaders can sense this double mindedness by paying attention to words and actions.
They know that people behave inconsistently.They can sense the disconnect between what people tell them and what people do. They’re not easily swayed by lip service. They can therefore avoid such “double-minded” people - those with mixed or hidden motives and avoid them accordingly.
They’re also self aware. Which means they’re highly sensitive to their own motives and can self correct when they sense they are about to compromise their own values, principles and insight.
When discernment leaves the building
Hindsight is a cruel teacher and one leader who recently experienced its wrath due to a lack of discernment was Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison.
In late 2019, Australia was facing an unprecedented bushfire season, with swathes of the country going up in flames.
Despite pleas from various corners of the community, Mr Morrison chose to ignore the calls for help and brush off the extent of the fires.
Then he secretly jetted off to Hawaii for a family holiday.
The ensuing outcry was only inflamed further when his office tried to coverup his secret holiday to a tropical island as blazes continued to burn in New South Wales, his home state.
Even Lara Bingle, the bikini model whose career Mr Morrison launched in 2006 when he headed Tourism Australia, couldn't resist taking a dig. Where the bloody hell are you?,' she tweeted under her married name of Lara Worthington, referencing the controversial slogan of the TV ad campaign she fronted.
His troubles worsened ahead of his return flight.
Mr Morrison, a former marketing man, defended his absence by declaring: 'I don't hold a hose, mate.'
Again, this stirred more anger on Twitter.
'Sure you don't hold a hose, but you also don't have the first clue about leadership,' one critic said.
On New Year's Eve, as large swathes of the NSW South Coast and Victoria's east burned, Mr Morrison was criticised again for holding an exclusive Sydney Harbour party at Kirribilli House.
'Scott Morrison and Jenny holding a party at Kirribilli House tonight to watch the fireworks is significantly more tasteless than the actual New Year's Eve fireworks themselves,' one person tweeted.
Public relations queen Prue MacSween said it appeared Mr Morrison had been badly advised. 'For someone who's got a lot of marketing background I was a little surprised and disappointed he didn't show his support and empathy for what people were going through,’ she said.
In comparison, the Liberal premiers of NSW and South Australia, Gladys Berejiklian and Steven Marshall, deferred their annual leave as bushfires destroyed large areas of their states.
Victoria's Labor Premier Daniel Andrews has also been seen leading the battle, as bushfires have destroyed 766,000 hectares of land at East Gippsland - leaving residents without homes and power.
Ushered into victory in his previous election on a major landslide win, it seems Scott Morrison became a victim of his own hubris.
He somehow misread the level of anguish, concern, grief and anger that Australians were experiencing.
He forgot to tap into the power of discernment - listening, understanding and reading the times for what they were, and choosing the right thing to do, even if it meant deferring his own comfort.
So how can you tap into discernment?
Whether you’re overseeing the livelihood and wellbeing of millions as prime minister or making a crucial business decision, leaders must prioritise discernment. This involves evaluating their motives, emotions, facts and reasoning about the matter before them.
Discernment truly comes into its own when leaders take a step back in times of critical decision making, and ask themselves a series of key questions:
What is true about the situation?
Have I taken the time to listen to all vested parties in the matter?
Are there people being harmed by the situation and have I taken the time to consider them?
Have I looked at the facts or am I simply acting on emotion?
Have I removed myself from the situation i.e. have I put others and their needs first?
Am I honouring the advice of those who have more experience than I do?
Do my decisions or actions honour the dignity of those I have responsibility over?
Is my response to the matter or crisis pure - is it a heartfelt response to the situation?
Or does it use manipulative language and images? Am I using my responses to ‘PR’ myself?
Are my motives impure or are they mixed? Am I manipulating others? Am I being manipulated?
What’s the worst case scenario of I don’t do any of the above?
Will my decision promote justice?
These are tough questions to ask, but they are necessary, especially if you are leading a business, a brand or even a country where you are accountable to staff, stakeholders and your own citizens.
You can’t preempt life, crisis or even how people will react. But you can apply discernment in the face of a storm and mitigate a negative outcome because you’ll be well prepared for it.
Taking the time to discern the times, multiplying signs, prevailing attitudes and sometimes the overwhelming rising tide of emotion and experiences and you could save yourself from snowballing into disaster.
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Source:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7844105/Scott-Morrison-bushfire-crisis-handling-seen-disaster-Hawaii-holiday-hose-comment.html
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