Entrepreneur and motivational speaker, Darren Hardy, recently launched “Hero’s Journey”, an online growth adventure in becoming a modern leader.
Day 1 revealed a compelling truth I wish I had learned, internalized, and shared in the earliest days of my insurance career. It’s about “demanding situations.”
The insurance industry was created to help address demanding situations…examples include fire, lawsuits, automobile accidents, natural disasters, workplace injuries, and death.
Of course demanding situations can also show up as a relational disconnect, intense financial need, or even an unreasonable customer.
On the exterior, demanding situations can look scary…something to run from. But look again…
Demanding Situations
Historian William Durant and his wife Ariel authored the eleven-volume masterpiece, The Story of Civilization, in which they concluded that history was not shaped by great men and women, but rather by “demanding situations” that summoned the greatness inside the men and women who took action.
It was previously thought that great results were the product of a hero. When in fact the hero is a product of great situations.
Necessity, they found, not brilliance or a singular leader’s vision, is the single most important ingredient in the formula for greatness. It’s the demand of the situation that brings out the exceptional qualities of a person.
Most people are living small, not because they lack the inherent talent or capability to be a great leader, but because their situation isn’t demanding more of them. They haven’t placed themselves in a position that requires them to become more than they currently are.
“I think the ability of the average person would be doubled if it were demanded. A man (or woman) is either rising up or shrinking down from the demands of their situation,” said Durant.
Rather than avoiding demanding situations, we should be looking for them to summon the greatness that already exists inside of us.
Demanding situations, those that knock us off our game, or that appear to be blocking the path to achieving our dreams…are actually a gift. They teach us that instead of getting discouraged, playing a blame game, or quitting, we can redirect our energy to become stronger, more confident, and to reach an entirely new level in life!
VANTREO is here to help. We are a team of insurance and risk management professionals who trouble shoot and advocate demanding situations on our clients’ behalf every day. We deliver the expertise, workflows, and technology that help keep people safe and that increase EBITDA profit to strengthen the businesses we partner with as they grow. Just reply here.