Superpowers: Chapter 6- Be Brave

Audio excerpt from The Launch Book

Hi! Thank you so much for being a paid subscriber!!! This special issue contains the audio of the sixth chapter (Be Brave) from The Launch Book: Motivational Stories to Launch Your New Business, Idea, or Next Career. To listen, click on “Be Brave". Below is the print excerpt.

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A. A. Milne in Winnie the Pooh

Every launch is a change from the status quo. And change is uncomfortable, ushering in a degree of uncertainty. So whether you are launching a new job, a new project or even a new habit, it requires a degree of gumption. You need to be brave.

So what holds up bravery? It can be a sense of purpose, a desire to do the right thing and having the courage to fail. It also requires a degree of vulnerability.

One of my best friends, Anne Shee (CC) Lee is a mom of four and a Harvard-trained paediatrician. She is the most tender-hearted person I know. She also spends several months of the year travelling to Bangladesh where there are high rates of infant death. CC is one of the world’s foremost experts on newborn health

When she was in her residency, she volunteered in the cities with children who did not have access to top medical care. That work compelled her to pursue a public health degree at Johns Hopkins University.

Early on, on one of her trips to Tibet, she got called to see an infant who was born healthy but had suddenly stopped breathing. No one knew how to resuscitate it. By the time CC arrived, the baby was too far gone and died in her arms. That experience, and subsequent ones involving preventable infant deaths in rural areas, led her to launch a new NGO. Called ‘Deliver’, it’s designed to train locals in places with low access to healthcare.

Another example, from a corporate domain, is Kerrii Anderson, a seasoned executive with board service experience in companies such as Chiquita, LabCorp and Worthington Steel.

When she was named the CEO of Wendy’s, sales were still declining quarter after quarter. She had also inherited the Red Wig marketing campaign, where everyone in the ads wore red wigs. Created by a premier advertising firm, the campaign was memorable, but Kerrii felt it did not represent the brand: “We were about great food and service and not red wigs.”

Though she was an accountant and not a marketing expert, she could feel the unrest in the franchise population. So, at the Wendy’s National Advertising Association meeting, she and another firm presented a pitch for a campaign that would take them back to Wendy’s cameo.

“It was the most nervous moment of my life. And then I thought if I 
can’t be brave and courageous now, I had to do what I think needed 
to be done. I say to everyone – trust your gut. When it’s all said and 
done, I could go to sleep and I could say, it was the right thing to do. 
It was one of the most memorable, rewarding, ballsy things I ever 
did. In my heart of heart, it was the right thing to do. I knew it wasn’t 
going to be easy. And I knew it better work!”

The franchisees agreed and the new campaign got things back on track. Sales began to increase. It changed the attitude and mindset of the franchisees who were embarrassed by what was running on TV.

These changes require certain acts of courage. It’s not revolutionary. You are pivoting around who you are and your values. The platforms are just different. It goes back to the values and principles.

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Click on “Be Brave” to listen to the audio version of this chapter.