Courage – Leading Through Adversity
We continue with our discussion on courage. You may recall the five areas that require courage in building your legacy are mental fortitude to be tough while still being loving, being open to criticism, leading through adversity, holding others as well as yourself accountable and communication. This week let’s continue our conversation on courage with tackling something that all people face especially leaders, and that is leading through adversity. The Oxford Dictionary online defines adversity as “A difficult or unpleasant situation.”
No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you have likely had some sort of adversity in your life. Wherever you have relationships with other people, you are bound to experience adversity at some point. The adversity may be physical, or it may even be mental or emotional as in those instances brought about by past experiences with a bad boss or through bad relationship issues. You see these people as living life from a critical perspective, and it seems like there is never anything good in their world. Some adversity is perceived to be bigger than it really is as is observed in the way people drive and how they react to situations beyond their control. Granted there are situations that truly are adversities, but it is helpful to understand the level of control and the desired outcome.
I came across a great word the other day which was a help to me when I think about adversity, and that was “disorientation.” I feel adversity and people that do not see the sunny side of things can be disorientating to me. Understanding the idea of disorientation as well as the control I have over the situation was helpful to me. Seeing the people that bring difficulty and unpleasantness into my life and knowing that it disorients me has helped me to separate myself from the dark cloud that they bring. You too can separate yourself from disorientation by understanding the triggers and the disorientation of others.
In all areas of leadership, I have learned that reflection is one way to help me gain understanding and grow through adversity. I am a morning person and have a routine that opens up the opportunity for me to spend purposeful time reflecting. Through journaling, meditation and prayer, I am able to take action and not merely react to life’s circumstances. I recently read an article on the website psychcentral.com. In the article, author Tiffany Mason expresses 4 proven ways to overcome adversity. They are: 1) surrounding yourself with positive people, 2) writing down your thoughts, 3) being in nature and 4) starting to invest in yourself/personal development. You can live reactionary or you can live purposefully. Unfortunately, in the heat of the battle we often just react without much thought. By understanding the role of adversity in your life, you can grow in leading in this area by seeing the purpose for it and being mindful of the level of control you have in the situations and the people that bring adversity into your life.
For those of us in business, we know that it is the struggles that cause us to grow and makes us better leaders. Whether it is the people we deal with or the circumstances that challenge us, it is good to pause in those interactions and reflect on the reasons for the challenge. Adversity can be a struggle that helps you grow as a leader, and it can be a good thing to have in your life. Often times in heat of the struggle, it is hard to see the other side. It is at this time that you could benefit from the service of a life coach. If you are struggling in the midst of adversity, send me and email at tlslegacycoaching@gmail.com and let’s start a conversation on how you can come out the other side and live your legacy today.
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