Transforming Setbacks to Achieve Professional Goals: A Daily Self-Leadership Practice

Tourette Syndrome. Have you heard of it? Most people, when they think of Tourette, think, “oh that’s when you have that swearing condition.” Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurological or brain-based disorder characterized by tics, which are involuntary sounds or movements that occur repeatedly at irregular intervals.

Tourette is likely linked to several different genes, and develops in childhood. It affects about one in 100 Canadians and occurs more often in boys. Tics are signals sent to the brain that demand to be expressed by the body, kind of like the experience of sneezing. Tics can be vocal, such as grunting, barking or blurting something out, or motor, such as jerking, twisting or pointing. Tics come and go, fluctuate in frequency, and come in a wide variety of forms. That swearing tic is called “coprolalia” and only a limited subset of people with Tourette have that particular tic.

If you’d like to learn more, check out this Rogers TV video in which I was interviewed to speak about Tourette (please note that I am speaking in my role as the President of the Greater Toronto Chapter of Tourette Canada; I am not a medical expert).

What does all this have to do with leadership and advancement? I’ll get to that shortly. But first, a bit about my own experience for context. In case you didn't watch the video, I have Tourette Syndrome, having experienced my first tic (clearing my throat) at the age of four, with a breadth of other tics cycling through since then. Throughout my post-secondary education and early work experience, a concern that regularly made the circuit through my mind was whether I would face barriers to engaging in the career I so wanted to pursue. I worried over whether I would be taken seriously or valued as much as colleagues with “normal” neurology.

What I came to realize is that each and every one of us has elements of our lives that we simply cannot control. Setbacks happen. The only thing that we can control is how we choose to respond in each moment. Tourette may be one of the things that I never chose to have in my life, but it’s just as true that there are circumstances in my colleagues’ and leaders’ lives that they didn’t choose, either. Perhaps this particular circumstance that I don’t have any say over—ticcing thousands of times per day—is just a bit more obvious.

What I absolutely can control are the choices that I make every day. I can choose self-leadership. I can choose to continue to push myself, to passionately pursue opportunities that allow me both to contribute to important work and to grow personally and professionally, and throw myself into other activities that feed my soul. I can choose to lead projects to completion with strategic thinking, clear organization and wise relational investment. I can choose to uplift, guide and support those who work with me, so that they are encouraged to deliver their very best, and work toward their own goals. I can choose to invest in my own development by taking on new and unestablished files, and by taking time every day to meditate and reflect. I can choose to lead a team of talented volunteers to advance education and advocacy for those living with Tourette. I can choose to take time to “breathe” in and out, metaphorically.

And so can each of us. We have each found ourselves in a role at some point that is perhaps not the best fit, and many of us have encountered a time when we felt stuck. I have learned to think of those times as opportunities to reflect about new ways in which I can grow, and to consider new activities to undertake. I have learned that we are never actually as stuck as we may think we are, that there is always a choice, and that a non-decision is also a choice. That we each have an inner leadership system that we’re responsible for developing with character.

Whether you’re currently in your dream job or you’re itching for a change, I encourage you to challenge yourself to regularly reframe how you think about both positive and challenging circumstances as they arise. As you invest in this daily practice and reflect on your progress every couple of weeks, your diligence will pay off as you lay witness to the discovery of increasing opportunities whose realization is at the ready for you to forge.

Malumir Logan is the President of the Greater Toronto Chapter of Tourette Canada, a group of volunteers committed to delivering on the mission and vision of Tourette Canada in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). We focus on education, advocacy, self-help and community building related to Tourette Syndrome and Tourette Syndrome Plus, in order to foster resilience and awareness in everyone affected by Tourette in the GTA.

If you are interested in exploring the possibility of volunteering with us, please send your up to date resume to [email protected], or call 905-673-2255.

Tourette Canada is a registered (11926 7862 RR0001) charitable organization dedicated to improving the lives of Canadians affected by Tourette Syndrome and associated conditions. Tourette Canada is national in scope and volunteer-based.

This article is not an endorsement by my employer of any organization or statement made.