Change

Today marks the end of Angela Merkel’s period as Germany’s chancellor.

Three attitudes she brought to the office:

Keep calm.
Be respectful.
Listen.

Put together, these three lead to the confidence that there’s always a path. No matter who or what is challenging you. Keep calm, be respectful, listen … and you’ll figure it out.

It might not be the change you were hoping for. Maybe you could have done without change, entirely. But given that the world is changing regardless of whether you like it or not, being able to find a reasonable path forward, even when it’s a severe disruption, is a great virtue.

Thanks for your service, Mrs. Merkel.