#optimisminaction

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By Richmond Kofi Adjapong

I’ve learned something over the years: logistics is often less about the freight and more about how you respond when everything—yes, everything—goes sideways.

At Rich Freight Services Ltd in Ghana, resilience and optimism have become more than buzzwords. They’re survival skills. From storms delaying vessels to sudden regulatory changes or even a late-night customs snafu, it’s not the challenges that define us—it’s how we react to them.

1. Embracing Disruption as Part of the Job

Here’s something I’ve come to accept: perfection isn’t the baseline—response is. You can’t prevent every disruption. But if you can absorb it, adapt quickly, pivot decisively—then you’re ahead.

We’ve had containers stranded by industrial action, trucks stalled at border checkpoints, systems glitching in the middle of clearance. In each case, it wasn’t the issue itself that defined the outcome—it was the team’s response. With resilience, they found alternate routes, re-stacked loads, moved schedules. They just… kept going. Because in logistics, that persistence becomes your most valuable asset.

2. A Positive Mindset Sparks Creativity

Optimism isn’t misplaced enthusiasm—it’s creative fuel. When the usual route is blocked, optimism means asking, “What else might work?” instead of groaning, “Not again…”

During the pandemic, one client had perishable exports held up by delayed sea shipments. Instead of abandoning the route, our team worked with trucking partners and cold-storage hubs to preserve goods inland until the ocean cleared. The result? Saturdays counted. Nothing wasted. A client that stayed with us.

An optimistic team sees possibility in chaos. And that mindset ripples outward.

3. Maintaining Team Morale Through Pressure

Logistics isn’t always glamorous. Some days it means standing at midnight at a port gate, managing shipping line teething pains, calming panicked clients, and guiding drivers with no clear ETA. In those hours, optimism isn’t a bonus. It’s essential.

At RFS, we emphasise two things: breathing, and recalibrating. A quick team huddle. A few words of encouragement. “We’ve done tougher.” Then redistributing workloads so nobody hits a wall. Small acts—but they compound. They stop fatigue. They keep the operation moving—and human.

4. Turning Setbacks into Lessons

Resilience isn’t just recovery—it’s improvement. After every major event—be it shipping delays, customs audits, or weather disruptions—we do something simple: debrief.

What could’ve gone better? What tools were missing? Did we need alternative contacts, different paperwork templates, faster communications? Then we update our playbook. That way the next disruption carries less risk.

In fact, our post-COVID workflows, digital adoption, and parallel route planning all came from tough lessons. Without those odds, we might not have stepped up.

5. Confidence Builds Client Trust

Clients can sense it. A forwarder who panics teaches no one. But a team that’s deliberate, alert, unshakeable—especially when the unexpected hits—that builds trust fast.

Clients often remark, “You seemed calm when it counted.” That’s not a compliment about our tone. It’s about confidence—about knowing we can handle the unexpected. In global trade, that reassurance is worth more than cost savings.

6. Optimism Drives Business Growth

Optimism isn’t just mindset—it’s fuel for innovation. We started exploring courier‑level e-commerce support, digital dashboards, and regional haulage lanes—all because someone first said, “Let’s try.” Without a degree of hope, logistics becomes rote. But with it? We innovate. We expand. We grow.

That attitude—persistence with optimism—shapes not just service, but strategy.

Looking Ahead to London

This November, at the 2025 Go Global Awards in London (hosted by the International Trade Council), I’ll be thinking about resilience—both ours and our peers’. We’ll be talking about 2025, yes—but also about tomorrow’s disruptions: climate, technology, trade volatility. And the mindset needed to face them.

Events like these are not just celebrations—they’re resets. Reminders that we’re part of a global freight network built on people who refuse to stop—even when things break. And I’m proud that Ghana—Rich Freight Services Ltd in particular—will share that mindset on the world stage.

Final Thought

Resilience isn’t heroic. It’s routine. And optimism isn’t naive. It’s adaptive.