Resilience is the most critical trait

Achieving success as a practitioner doesn't come easy. And I don’t mean success as in self-promotion or career progression, but in tackling problems, implementing initiatives, and seeing projects through to completion.

There are a great many traits that are useful, but ask ten people which trait is the most critical and you will get eleven answers to that question. Some will probably argue that intelligence is the most important–that you must be smart enough to develop a great idea and clever enough to navigate the byzantine bureaucratic systems to see it through. Another might argue that charisma is most important. They would contend that a great pitch can sell even the weakest of ideas and that there is always someone you must convince along the way. Still others might pick ambition, since it takes motivation and drive to propel movement forward.

In all my time working in the military and government, I’ve found that while all those things matter, they aren’t the most critical. Rather, it has always come down to one thing: resilience.

Whenever I consider what it takes to achieve success as a practitioner, I am reminded of a quote from the 2006 film Rocky Balboa. In the movie, the fictional pugilist is imparting wisdom to his frustrated son, and Rocky says these words which ring so true no matter your station in life:

It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward–how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.

I have seen people smarter than me with better ideas give up when the first higher-up told them that it would be impossible to implement. I have seen people who are terrific leaders and networkers get so frustrated with the system that they decide it simply ain't worth their time or energy anymore.

Conversely, I have seen people who stay the course no matter the difficulty. They take the hits–the criticism, the unhelpful feedback, the naysaying–and they carry on anyway. They understand that there is no linear path to success and that they will inevitably run into brick walls before finding a way over, around, or through them. They do this over and over again until they finally achieve what they set out to do.

Sometimes those achievements are big, and other times, they are invisible victories. Resiliency is important in either case. This is something that experience has taught me time and time again, whether it was pushing through an important alliance negotiation that made headlines or quietly institutionalizing an intergovernmental procedure that has protected human rights. In both cases, I found that the ability to take the hits made way more difference than the strength of any punch I could throw.

So, how can you build resiliency as a practitioner?

For me, it has always started with believing in the work that I am doing. That comes with preparation, research, and feedback from those I trust. The stronger and more principled your work is, the easier it will be to stand up for it when it faces opposition.

Second, I have found resiliency in teams. Sometimes that team has been the unit I have led or the one to which I’ve been assigned, and other times it is the one I’ve formed. Your teammates are the ones who will pick you up and dust you off after mistakes and will propel you forward when you need the boost.

Third, resiliency comes through self-care. While many can endure acute stress through a short period, it is much more difficult dealing with consistent stress over a longer time. This is where your friends, family, faith, and fitness (both mental and physical) come into play. Find those things that rejuvenate you so you can go another twelve rounds in the ring.

Finally, and this is the most important thing, always remember that nothing worth doing in life is easy. The hardship and difficulty you face were always going to be a part of the process. You must recognize that, and while that acknowledgment won’t make the hardship any easier, it will steel your resolve against it.

If you can do those things, you will find the inner strength needed to go the distance. And that is when the success will come.