Alexander Graham Bell once said: "When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us." It is a quote that FivePoint Chairman and CEO Emile Haddad has taken to heart over the years. These words have been particularly useful to him in times of hardship and crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s not if life will throw you a curve ball, it’s when,” Haddad said during a “Managing the Moment” virtual program hosted by technology accelerator Octane on June 18. “If you’re not ready mentally with all the tools sharpened, you’re going to be caught off guard and your ability to survive gets reduced significantly.”
Octane CEO Bill Carpou opened the discussion by inviting Haddad to share his personal journey as a young man living in his native Lebanon during an 11-year civil war. He followed by asking what he learned from those moments, and how they prepared him for future challenges in the business world. Most importantly, how to be calm and find opportunities when others are caught up in the chaos.