Leadership In Times Of Crisis – Thoughts By Tony Buzan

How can we develop leadership in times of crisis? here are some thoughts by Tony Buzan in the lead up to his Australian Tour in May 2009

“2009 is being proclaimed as the year of crisis, and if you read the business pages of any newspaper or magazine, and indeed some of the rushed-out books, two of the most common words in the headlines and the text are ‘Panic’ and ‘Fear’.  If you look at all the different forms of capitals and currencies, you will find that they are all declining… The Currency of land – declining; Property – declining;  Oil – declining;  Stocks and Shares – declining.

“There is one Capital which has never declined, and one currency that always increases if you invest in it: Intellectual Capital and the Currency of Intelligence.  2009 is going to see a paradigm shift in the way the world thinks about business.  The shift will be from the old industrial models to the realisation that it is Intelligence – and by this I mean the Multiple Intelligences – that are going to be the focus and indeed the creators of future wealth. Among those Intelligences, Creative Intelligence is likely to be the prime survival mechanism.

“Many great fortunes have been made – not, surprisingly, in times of boom; they have been made in times of bust.  How can this be so?  In the following way:  during a time of crisis, many new opportunities arise.  While the Bulls and Bears are stampeding in panic and fear across the financial plains, those who can THINK can overview the situation and see where those opportunities are being exposed.

“Once again we return to Intellectual Capital and the use and application of the Multiple Intelligences to take advantage of what is on offer. Again, only those who can THINK will be able to work out the strategy by which they can actually grasp those opportunities.

“Another relevant metaphor is that of an ancient forest destroyed by a major hurricane.  While it is disturbing to see the destruction, that very destruction allows the ground beneath the uprooted trees, for the first time in 200 or 300 years, to receive the energy of the sun.  This energy almost instantaneously gives rise to an entirely new growth from the seeds that have been in darkness for so long, now exposed to the energy which allows them to grow.

“In times of crisis, opportunity is there for everyone.  It is only those who can lead, and who are thought-leaders, who will be able to grasp the many opportunities that crises offer.”

Source: Press release by Tony Buzan