Choose The Story.

“We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

Winston Churchill uttered these famous words as the Germans were gearing up to attack England in 1940. Hitler was convinced that at the first moment of civilian-bombing, the British people would turn on Churchill and demand that he seek a peace deal (i.e., surrender).

He was wrong.

With these defiant words, Churchill inspired his country to go all-in on the same vision of perseverance. One civilian wrote, “I feel so much in the spirit of Winston’s great speech that I could face a world of enemies.” The British people banded together and endured horrific, ongoing bombing campaigns, but they fulfilled the vision: they never surrendered.

Little did they know: Just after uttering his defiant speech to parliament, Churchill quietly said to a colleague, “and… we’ll fight them with the butt end of broken bottles, because that’s bloody well all we’ve got.” At the time of his speech, Churchill knew that Britain had few resources to resist the Germans (much less to feed the British population). America was dragging it’s feet in getting involved. The situation would have appeared hopeless to anyone else.

But as a true leader in a time of crisis, Churchill chose the story.

And choosing the story made it so. With the shared commitment to survival, the citizens gave whatever resources they could to the war effort, and to helping one another survive. When the leadership of the U.S. saw Britain’s iron-jawed resolve, they grew more committed to helping the war effort, eventually joining and providing the resources that would help Britain prevail.

All because Churchill chose the story.

I often tell my coaching clients that “You are the Leader of your Business.”

To start and run a business involves stepping out of the employee-mindset (i.e. waiting for instructions), and to step into setting the vision, then taking responsibility for making it happen.

In a crisis— or any type of big problem that will come along in a business— it may be tempting to hide, to shrink, or to let despair call the shots. It can be tempting to wait for rescue.

But during the tough times, being the leader of your business means choosing the story of the situation, then committing to making that story happen. The story itself makes it so.

What story are you choosing for your business—and life— during this moment in history?