How Life's Challenges Birth Stronger Leaders

How Life's Challenges Birth Stronger Leaders

I have been thinking a lot about the last 17 years of my life lately.

Three weeks ago, a family emergency occurred. We were thrown into the chaotic churn of one of those tsunamis that life throws at you.

When these events happen, I hit pause, reassess the situation, data, actions, and options available, and decide on a course forward. Basically, I troubleshoot, fix what I can, and accept what I can't fix. The one thing that struck me is how I step back and away from the once tightly held career goals. I do this because, with the available resources and the situations that needed handling, that seemed to be something I could live with.

I can't explain the level of fear I had to tame, wondering if I would get my momentum back on the career journey.

I wonder each time about my dreams, the path I need to choose to start again, and how hard it will be. And... the good old fear and exasperation of job security. But I have to say, it never stopped me from doing what I needed to do.

I once asked a doctor if I was making the chaos happen unintentionally.

I still hear his laugh, saying, "I doubt if you would want your entire life to be thrown upside down intentionally."

Why am I writing about this now?

As I said above, our lives were thrown into chaos 3 weeks ago. As I became familiar with working through the problem, setting priorities, learning lessons, and more, I realized that I have never given up on fighting through setbacks.

My most outstanding achievement has been my ability to scream, curse, throw a fit, and finally show up. I found strength in my resilience and refusal to give up, and it made me a better leader.

The Unexpected Path

We all like to imagine that life will unfold neatly and linearly. Career growth should be steady—milestone after milestone, success after success. But reality? It's messy. Life throws you curveballs when you least expect them. It doesn't care about your five-year plan or perfectly crafted LinkedIn profile.

Sometimes, I had no choice but to step away from my career.

Resilience Makes Better Leaders

Authentic Leadership is about how you respond when everything goes wrong, show up when life gets hard, and guide others through.

My journey has been far from a straight line.

But it gave me an edge.

It taught me to scream and cry and stay calm enough through chaos, adapt and accept that plans can fall apart, and keep moving forward. That's resilience, and it became the base of how I lead.

You Are Not Alone

If you feel stuck in life's challenges, know this - you're not alone.

Give yourself permission to feel scared and to step back. These moments are not failures. They're the second act of your story, a stepping stone toward the third act.

I promise you will look back one day and see what it gave you. You don't have to know the way all the time. You can stand still. You can crawl, walk, or run when you are ready.

When you find your way back to professional life, which you will, you are far ahead than you think you are. You will never be starting from scratch. It will be a new fork in your story.

What I Learned About Leadership

As I sit here and review this, I see that I can do more. I am ready to take on more. How will I get that role I want? I have no idea right now, but I know that I will figure it out.

I want to lead because I understand others better now, and my moral and ethical foundation is stronger. I can admit I am never going to figure it all out. I would not have dared to write this five years ago. The events life threw at me gave me the strength to speak openly and from my heart.

Many of you are walking similar paths. You are braver and tougher than you think. Every obstacle you overcome makes you stronger and enhances your ability to be an empathetic leader.

To Those Like Me

My fear of job security is still present, but I have developed the courage to speak to my managers about it. I no longer pretend it doesn't exist, which makes it go away.

I find comfort in knowing I am still standing, taking steps forward. Whether my job title states it or not, I know I am a leader.

Tap into your fear and accept that you are a leader.

You don't need someone else to tell you that.

If you do, I am telling you that you are a 'total sigma leader.'

Connect if you find my audacity relatable. It takes a village, right?

Let's light a campfire, open a bottle of wine ( or nonalcoholic), share our battle stories, and be the village!!!

Luv

Saj