Most would probably agree that “Don’t worry, be happy” is not the way to go. Comfort leads to contentment, which too often leads to complacency and inaction. Comfort is the disposition of the prey just before ambush by a predator. On the other hand, a state of constant alarm leads to stress, panic and exhaustion, resulting in poor decisions driven by impulse and anxiety, and eventually total dysfunction. People and organizations can turn on each other, or be literally paralyzed by fear.

When faced with crisis, the healthiest disposition is neither the comfort of complacency nor a constant state of alarm. To survive a high-stakes, competitive environment, whether in the wild, in sports or in business, the goal is to maintain a state of relaxed readiness—a posture lying somewhere between total relaxation and absolute rigidity.

In a dangerous economic environment, we must be on the alert for challenges and change, but not so stressed and intimidated by them that we can’t respond. We can’t be so focused on the dangers that we fail to see the opportunities within crisis. The most resilient companies and individuals will be those who can achieve and maintain a state of relaxed readiness.

What men call a crisis is merely God clearing the way for opportunity.

Alfred Edmond Jr. is the editor-in-chief of BlackEnterprise.com

I’ve had a passion for this specific kind of challenge long before I was aware of it, and I believe it is a gift from God (one of the talents the Master entrusted to me to manage, develop and invest until He returns). For example, I’ve always been a mediocre basketball player, even though I like to play. When I played pick-up basketball as a teen at my neighborhood playground in Long Branch, N.J., I developed a knack for choosing teammates who could compensate for my lack of skill—instinctively taking into consideration attitude as well as talent and ability. My teams could hold the court all day, despite a significant liability—namely me. I now remember that if I was on a losing team that was not of my choosing, I’d feel bad (I don’t like to lose). But if a team I personally selected lost, I’d be furious, more at myself than at my teammates. I did not recognize that pattern until I grew older, but I now recognize that I’ve always instinctively known that a team is far more than the sum of its members, and that if you could put the right people together and motivate them properly, they could do amazing things, despite apparent or perceived disadvantages.

Similarly, my lifelong love of pro football has never been about individual athletes. I’ve always been obsessed with the question of why, in a league of teams with the same access to talent, money and resources—with parity—certain teams consistently win (Giants, Patriots, Cowboys, Steelers), certain teams consistently lose (Lions, Raiders, Falcons, Cardinals, Saints), and certain teams are consistently inconsistent, winning a respectable number of games (Chargers, Browns, Bills, Chiefs), but rarely championships. It’s why I have few favorite players, but I am fascinated by the likes of Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Bill Parcells, Bill Walsh, Bill Belichick, Tony Dungy, etc.—people who know how to build winning organizations of winning people.

I see everything in these terms. Anyone who knows me knows that I love superhero comic books. My favorites are the ones about teams of superheroes working together (Justice League, Avengers, X-Men, Blood Syndicate, etc.), not individual heroes like Superman or Spiderman. In fact, it dawned on me the other day that leading the staff of Black Enterprise magazine (an honor I enjoyed for 13 years) was like leading The Avengers: a team of polished, experienced, exceptionally talented professionals operating as part of a long-established and esteemed tradition of excellence. My new team at BlackEnterprise.com is more like the X-Men: a group of gifted individualists of prodigious potential who are often in conflict with one another, and must be taught how to use their abilities productively and operate as a team. My challenge is to help them see past their differences by getting them focused on a common ideal and vision. (I’ve already identified, in my mind, a Wolverine, a Jean Grey, and a Rogue on my team.) I’ve taken to thinking of Derek Dingle, who succeeded me as editor-in-chief of our magazine in July of 2008, as Captain America, and seeing myself as Professor X.

The point of all this is: I passionately believe that organizations can win without exceptional talent, but talent—even extraordinary talent—cannot win outside of a winning organization. It’s my job to build that organization, to take that talented group of individuals and create and maintain a winning—and yes, heroic—team, one that will consistently do special, amazing, important things. Black Enterprise—the very definition of a winning organization—has always afforded me the opportunity to do this over my two-decades-plus tenure at the company. And that’s exactly what I love.

Alfred Edmond Jr. is the editor-in-chief of BlackEnterprise.com