Resilience and Why Leaders Need It

If you had to list just one common theme for the course of the last year, what would it be? A theme within your own life, your family, your community, or your world. I’d be willing to bet that you’d have a hard time describing the last year without thinking about a time that dealt with some degree (or lack thereof) of resilience.

January marked two years since I made the difficult decision to become an amputee, and last month marked one year free of a MRSA infection (for the third time). I doubt you would’ve been able to tell if you saw me out and about unless I happened to be on crutches or still had a PICC line stuck in my arm because I try hard to live as normal as possible and don’t project my issues. Without a doubt, this crazy turn my life took 1,075 days ago (I’m not counting—definitely had to look that up) has affected my life more than I ever could’ve imagined. In good ways and in bad, but that’s hefty claim considering I’ve experienced extremely impactful chains of events like losing a parent while in high school or navigating a rich experience as an Army leader and helicopter pilot. My resilience was tested in my own trials before this global pandemic, but like everyone else, it was reinvigorated by the new challenges and adaptations within our society.

When I think of resilience, the idea of toughness immediately comes to mind. Not necessarily toughness in the way that Roger Allen Wade sings about in his song, “If You’re Gonna Be Dumb, You Gotta Be Tough” that most associate with a popular stunt movie, but that of elasticity and one’s ability to bounce back and adapt. This challenge that sprung out of nowhere and engulfed the entire world most certainly created chaos and spelled tragedy in the form of loss (of jobs, friends, or family). It also pushed the world into hyperdrive, resulting in great forms of progress—from digital advancement and improvement of teleworking practices to the unification of countries and entire regions to fight an invisible enemy.

Where are we today? A year to the day after the stock market bottomed out in the COVID crash of 2020, the Dow Jones is sitting comfortably above 30,000 with a 56% gain on the 1yr chart. Although the market may be artificially inflated with the craziness of the last year, it’s still progress, and it signifies that so many parties have adapted to a new way of doing business or found new ways of supporting themselves. I’m not here to talk about the market or how good/bad a year of public assistance in the form of multiple stimuli has been for our economy, rather using it as a marker/metric that supports the resilient nature of America. Don’t get me wrong, we’re not out of the woods yet—we’re still dangerously close to correction territory or some form of bubble; however, if/when another event surfaces I’ve got faith that our resilience will prevail as it has so strongly in recent years.

Though the pandemic has changed the way we navigate our daily lives, not all change is bad. We’ve made tremendous progress in the development of vaccines and in the study of new, rare virus strains that have the potential to deal death to some or transit others asymptomatically. Our society’s resilience has been tested and has, for the most part, been strengthened. We, as individuals, must continue to work at this idea of elasticity and toughness on a daily basis and in each facet of our lives. The world can be a tough, dangerous, unfair, or cruel place sometimes, but our own fortitude and resilience in so many situations will only have a positive result. We must emerge from the ashes of the last year and drive on with our meaningful lives. The clock hasn’t stopped and we can’t waste any time in getting back to truly living.

My accident was a significant disruptor to my life, my career, and my family. I harnessed it to adapt rather than lean on my disability—reinventing myself and cultivating a new, improved image. We have, and must continue to do the same with each facet of our lives as we move beyond the ruins of 2020. We must continue to adapt, forging new paths forward without focusing on why we can’t do something. We must find ways to succeed, to return to life, and to return to business. We’ll continue to adapt and find ways to repurpose or recycle the insane amounts of materials that went into the giant plastic shields at kiosks or face masks that litter our homes/cars; my point here is that our evolution through life never stops. We’re always adapting to changing environments, but we first must possess the resilience that will enable this agility and toughness.

A leader’s resilience is critical. It's even more important if their leadership is reliant on the setting of a stellar example for followers. If your boss or your team captain couldn’t handle the demands of change in whatever environment, what happens to you as a follower or teammate? If they were so fixed in routine or enamored with their own issues to be blindsided and completely derailed by a pandemic, shame on them. Part of resilience and adaptation springs from anticipation and planning. In my experience and observation, leaders who maintain the right amount of flexibility, project an even keel attitude, and demonstrate the mental and physical toughness to rise up from anything make the best leaders in tough situations. As you continue to evolve, are you doing so with the right amount of resilience to become a leader you would follow, no matter the situation? If so, you’re on the right path. Because progression and learning never stop, you owe it to yourself, your team, your partner, and all others in your environment to continue pushing to be the best version of yourself.?With tenacity, the drive to overcome, and the focus to excel, anything is possible—go out and make a difference in your world for the better.?