Planning in Perilous Times
Whether it is a cancelled event, the loss of a job, the decimation of a retirement account, or the loss of a loved one, no one has or will escape being touched by the Covid-19 pandemic. Some touches are certainly much more harsh and irreversible than others. I wanted to spend a little time today talking about the important role planning continues to play even as you navigate these perilous times.
According to a biography for notable alumni on the United States Naval Academy website, in 1965, while returning from a mission, Admiral James Stockdale’s A-4 Skyhawk was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Stockdale ended up in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" prison with a broken bone in his back and a dislocated knee. Stockdale spent nearly eight years as a POW before being released in 1973. Four of those years were in solitary confinement. Stockdale spent two years in leg irons, he was physically tortured more than 15 times, was denied medical care and malnourished. Despite these privations, and not knowing whether he would survive, Admiral Stockdale organized a communication system and developed a set of rules for prisoner behavior that gave prisoners hope as well as a code of conduct to assist them in their behavior standards. In 1969, after he was told that he was to be paraded in front of foreign journalists, “Stockdale slashed his scalp with a razor and beat himself in the face with a wooden stool knowing that his captors would not display a prisoner who was disfigured.” At one point Stockdale even slashed his wrists in order to “demonstrate to his captors that he preferred death to submission.”
How was Stockdale so resilient in the face of such peril and uncertainty? Jim Collins interviewed Stockdale for his book Good to Great. Stockdale explained: “I never lost faith in the end of the story . . . . I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which in retrospect, I would not trade.” Collins explains that he followed up with the question, “who didn’t make it out?” Stockdale answered: “The optimists.” Collins was confused. Wasn’t Stockdale an optimist? Stockdale clarified:
The optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart. This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end–-which you can never afford to lose–-with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.
This has become known as the Stockdale Paradox. “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end–-which you can never afford to lose–-with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” Moving your plan for your business or your estate forward. Continuing to plan for succession. Putting in place systems and processes. Even in the face of unknown and uncertain circumstances. Even in the face of perilous times. In fact, confronting face first the unknown and the uncertain. Having this mindset of “faith that you will prevail in the end” is what will allow you, your family, your business, to move through these difficult times and come out stronger and better on the other side.
At Hallock & Hallock, we are practicing what we preach: faith and discipline. We continue to work hard in our business and on our business. We are finding new and innovative ways to serve the needs of our clients. We know we will prevail in the end and we will be better people and a better business for having gone through this crisis. This crisis will eventually pass. How long and how difficult it will be, we do not know. But, we are here to help you emerge stronger and better along with us.
This post is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact an attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. Nothing herein creates an attorney-client relationship between Hallock & Hallock and the reader.