Recently, Octane CEO, Bill Carpou sat down with FivePoint Chairman and CEO, Emile Haddad to discuss resilience in the face of a crisis and how to innovate going forward.
Haddad recalled growing up in Lebanon and the civil war there as the root of his strong belief in surviving and adapting through a crisis. He and his family eventually migrated to the United States where he describes the resilience that he learned through the civil war as key to his success throughout his career.
According to Emile, resilience comes from hardship and adversity, specifically, a time lived in fear. However, resilience isn’t from just surviving hardship, it’s “surviving the survival,” meaning that you need to grow, adapt and adjust from the challenges faced. He notes that resilience is learned and is a skill that can be practiced, that as you grow, you learn to include plans to adapt and respond in your initial strategy, knowing that life will always have another curveball.
A key factor in determining success in managing a crisis or abrupt change is having a support community. In Emile’s case, he is a believer that everyone has a destiny and that it’s something that is shared with those around you. He says that purpose is something that others rely on you for. This fact is something that gives him further motivation to continue to plan and properly manage unexpected hardships both in life and in business.
A part of Governor Newsom’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery, Emile believes that the current crisis caused by the spread of coronavirus is a defining moment, unlike anything that this country has seen for generations. Haddad expects that this time will result in innovations that change the future of healthcare, of work and of communities. He concludes that in Orange County, we have a foundation that is ready for growth, but that true innovation requires collaboration across the community as a whole.
According to Haddad, resilience is key to future success, to surviving uncertain and fearful times and to persevere through inevitable challenges.
View the full Ignite Series video here.