Author Tom Morin: “How To Survive And Thrive During A Time Of Crisis; 5 Lessons I Learned From My Military Experience”

“we need to learn new skills and behaviors because whatever got us into the crisis will not get us out” — Tom Morin

In this interview series, we are exploring the subject of dealing with crisis and how to adapt and overcome. The context of this series is the physical and financial fallout that resulted from the COVID 19 pandemic. Crisis management is one characteristic that many successful leaders share in common, and in many cases it is the most important trait necessary to survive and thrive in today’s complex market.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Tom Morin, Author and Speaker.

Tom was nearly killed twice at work, and then a third time trying to escape unfulfilling work: he was shelled in the former Yugoslavia, just missed being chopped in half on a drilling rig, and survived oxygen deprivation high on a mountain in Peru. His last brush with death forced him to critically examine his own working life and compelled him to help others do the same. Tom is an inspiring author and speaker on a mission to help leaders succeed in critical moments and everyone do their best work.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?

I was born in Germany while my father was serving as a military police officer in the Canadian Air Force. That was during the cold war and the nuclear threat was something he and my mother lived with every day. I was three years old when the Warsaw Pact invaded Czechoslovakia and I remember my father telling me, “If something ever happens to your mother and I, you’ll need to take care of yourself.” That’s one of the most vivid memories I have of that time, and, when I look back on my childhood, I wonder if I was just waiting to begin working; begin taking care of myself.

When I was twelve, I wanted to get a summer job and when I asked my father for permission, he said, “You’re going to have to work for the rest of your life; enjoy your summer.” Of course, he was right. I got my first…