“Hear the roar of our engines….”

Until last Sunday, I thought that the best commercial shown in conjunction with a Super Bowl was Apple’s with its “1984” theme.

Leland Russell has praised Clint Eastwood’s two-minute commercial for Chrysler, “It’s Halftime in America,” and I agree with Russell. Here is what he has to say:

*     *     *

During Super Bowl 2012, millions of Americans got a jolt of current reality. It was followed by a plausible path to greatness. Both messages were conveyed in only 250 words, about the length of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

Why did Clint Eastwood’s two-minute television commercial –  ”It’s Halftime in America” – have such an impact? Yes, it had profoundly serious, moving scenes of families, workers, and assembly lines coming back from a devastating downturn. Yes, the familiar sandpaper voice and underlying soundtrack struck emotional chords. But the real power was in its authentic call for courage to face reality and conviction to create the future, a combination that’s been called the “Stockdale Paradox”.

Jim Stockdale was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam who spent 4 years in solitary confinement. Author Jim Collins interviewed Stockdale and asked him how he managed to survive. “This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end – which you can never afford to lose – with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

Eastwood’s commercial confronted the brutal facts. “People are out of work, and they’re hurting. And they’re all wondering what they’re gonna do to make a comeback. And we’re all scared because this isn’t a game.”

But it also focused on the future. “All that matters now is what’s ahead. How do we come from behind? How do we come together? And, how do we win? This country can’t be knocked out with one punch. We get right back up again and when we do the world is going to hear the roar of our engines.Yeah, it’s halftime America. And, our second half is about to begin.”

The lesson for leaders is that dealing with adversity has two equally important dimensions: facing current reality with courage and picturing a better future with conviction.

*     *     *

That is what President Franklin Roosevelt did during the Great Depression with his “Fireside Chats” and that is what Prime  Minister Winston Churchill did only a few years later during the Battle for Britain, following the evacuation from Dunkirk.

I urge you to check out the wealth of resources at Leland’s website by clicking here.

 

 

Posted in

Leave a Comment





This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.