"Memento Mori" Sisu

Quick answer: What is sisu?

Sisu has no exact English translation. Finns use it for resilience, determination, and the will to keep going when it makes no sense to. In what may have been its first appearance in English, Time magazine wrote on January 8, 1940, that sisu was "a compound of bravado and bravery, of ferocity and tenacity, of the ability to keep fighting after most people would have quit." Finland was then holding off a much larger Soviet army in the Winter War of 1939 to 1940. John's example is Simo Hayha, the sniper the Soviets called the "White Death," credited with more than 500 kills in temperatures far below zero. Badly wounded in the jaw days before the war ended, he recovered and lived to 96. John pairs sisu with memento mori, the Stoic reminder that we will die. The awareness that time is limited, he argues, gives perseverance a purpose and makes each effort more deliberate.

Why it matters for leaders: Perseverance means more when you remember that your time to make a difference is limited.

Q: What was the Winter War?

A: The Soviet invasion of Finland from November 1939 to March 1940. Finland lost territory but kept its independence after inflicting heavy losses on the Red Army.

Q: Who was Simo Hayha?

A: A Finnish sniper in the Winter War, nicknamed the "White Death," credited with over 500 kills. He lived from 1905 to 2002.

Read the full article on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/memento-mori-sisu-john-fenzel-tquhc

By John Fenzel, founder and CEO of Heroes' Path Foundation