In the English language, the first recognized appearance of the term “silver lining” came in John Milton’s poem, Comus, in 1634.
“Was I deceived? or did a sable cloud/
Turn forth her silver lining on the night?”
That year in the life of the revered English poet–a critically important voice in the defense of freedom of speech and freedom of the press, and author of Paridise Lost–came, as it happened, during what was known as the “late outbreak” periods of the Black Death. The year Comus was published, the year the expression “silver lining” came to light, an outbreak of plague killed 15,000 Munich residents.
This moment, for leaders, is about buoyancy.
It’s also about vulnerability. We spend our lives, our careers, build our identities, our firms, our organizations trying to become invulnerable. So, feeling vulnerable, as many, many, many of us do now, unleashes a fissure of shame, of failure, of confounding loss into our beings.
Vulnerability is awful to feel, and in feeling it, we’re leveled with those who live there constantly, in good times as well as times like now.
Vulnerability is also an awful feeling to admit, to acknowledge, to avow–whether it’s as a person, a community, a corporation, a nation, or a world. We’re reluctant to reveal vulnerability, because we’ve equated invulnerability with superiority, with exceptionalism, with power.
Invulnerability and resiliency, or buoyancy, or anti-fragility are not equals, even though we may want to conflate a denial of vulnerability with the power to thrive under great duress.
We’re living now under great duress and darkness–our families, our friends, our companies, our community, and our economy. The “sable cloud” that will “turn forth her silver lining on the night” is, first, admitting we’re feeling vulnerable. Vulnerability itself–full public admission of it–can be a “silver lining” power in itself, for ourselves, and for others who’ve entrusted themselves to our leadership.
It’s acknowledging–for home building and construction’s mostly-male operational ecosystem, for instance–that the novel coronavirus’ attack-and-kill rates are higher for men, and for men over 60, and for men with pre-existing health conditions, as do so many of our workers on the job sites and in construction’s trenches.
It’s acknowledging that we don’t have answers that we want urgently right now, both to deal with the ongoing emergency, and to being to make plans to preserve and protect our companies.
It’s in being present–without fail–even given the limitations and constraints of the technological platforms we’ve got to work with to maintain that constant connectivity.
Here’s how one leader phrased the silver lining in a conversation with me in the past few days:
“The level of creativity and technology enhancements that we’re able to execute on almost overnight. This changes us—for the better– as a business as we come through this. And compassion. You saw what 911 did to this country … how it brought everyone together. This time it’s going to be enhanced because the evolution of technology is so different. We’re learning how to protect those relationships in a time when we’re not side by side.
“There really is a silver lining. The question is how long it takes to work through the collateral impacts that come out of this. There will be collateral damage. It’s hitting every business in America today. But America is strong. We’ve proven time and time again, we’re resilient. We see it. I’m seeing it in the company. I think it’s time that families and communities – doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about families getting to re-acquaint with each other, communities coming together, teams coming together, industries.
“I’m watching what our industry’s coming together, helping the medical profession to get masks and helping with supplies. It’s so heartwarming. That’s what this is about. It’s not a time of posturing, ego, personal agendas, and benefit what’s right for an individual, but what’s right for our country. I do believe, at the most basic level, people are guided by a real sense of morality and purpose.
What I’m witnessing each and every day is that our culture’s allowing our team members’ authentic selves to be at their very best right now. I’m so grateful for it. It’s humbling. Sometimes you have to just step back and appreciate, even at a time like this, how fortunate we are. ”
As the poet says:
” Was I deceived? or did a sable cloud/
Turn forth her silver lining on the night?”
