Adversity - The Gauntlet of Leadership

“Do not judge me by my success. Judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”

-Nelson Mandela

It's easy to lead consistently when you sail smooth waters. The pall of adversity wrests the stability that many leaders rely on the stay true to personal and/or organizational values. Others look to leaders amidst this tempest, so what can they do?

During my years of Federal service, I experienced several furloughs. The furloughs themselves did not bother me since I knew I would be made whole again financially and I was prepared to pay my bills. However, several junior managers went from being calm leaders to spreaders of disaffection. It wasn't long before they were moved to less influential roles, but the damage to morale lingered. Senior managers had to invest their time to reaffirm the agency's commitment to all staff. They also had to invest in healing eroded team trust.

Harvard Business Review 's Leading in the Flow of Work challenges leaders to reapply the purpose behind their mission in the context of adversity. This challenges the leader to face the storm head-on rather than surrendering their will to the winds.

Forbes cites three ways to lead through adversity. Leaders must:

1. Honestly and objectively assess the current situation.
2. Choose a path forward.
3. Inspire and enable others to commit to actions.

In closing, I want to share a fitting quote from Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo.

“Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in Rome. Do your worst, for I will do mine! Then the fates will know you as we know you.”

Are you ready to face the storm undaunted?