Yes, things are serious, and people are worried. In times of trouble, people turn to a safe pair of hands for advice, comfort, perspective, and positivity. No-one represents that better than Tom Hanks.

In the movie, Bridge of Spies, Tom Hanks (our COVID captive brother) plays the lawyer of captive spy, Rudolf Abel. Several times through the movie, Hanks asks Abel if he was worried about being tried and convicted of spying. Rudolf responded dryly each time, “Would it help?”

The natural reaction in a perceived attack is to pull inwards and defend the vital organs. The wise response is to open an eye and see if the threat is still there, and what opportunities exist to escape or to fight back.

In Apollo 13, Hanks keeps the team together to avert disaster, re-allocate resources and slingshot around the moon to return safely to Earth.

We have been discussing and strategising about how our clients can ‘extend the runway’. This is so they can either land softly, or build momentum to take off in thinner air. Crashing is not an option, not without a fight, and everyone gets out alive. Think Tom Hanks in ‘Sully’ where he lands a stricken plane on the Hudson.

The common flow of our client coaching sessions at the moment is trepidation at the beginning and excitement by the end. As business coaches, we are well placed to help with the commercial bits, and as experienced mindfulness teachers, we can assist our clients with the shock, stress, and anxiety that accompanies this rarest of events.

If you would like a Tom Hanks on your team, let us know. There is a Tom Hanks for everyone in Acuity. If you are locked down, and have time for movies, then the Tom Hanks back catalogue is always time well spent.

Its no coincidence that T.Hanks spells thanks…