Do you have a favorite quote? One of mine is from James Lane Allen, who said, “Adversity does not build character, it reveals it.” I have used this quote as a leader with my team, my coaching clients, and my children.
The reason I love this quote is that it is true. Over the years, I have worked for many different leaders. Some of my former leaders were good, some were bad, a few were exceptional, and a few were horrendous.
As I reflect on my former leaders, the majority of them appeared to be good leaders. As long as things were running smoothly, they were cool, calm, and competent. However, under pressure, sometimes, they would fall apart.
I have had the pleasure and the misfortune to work for two very different leaders at the same time. Early in my career, I worked for an exceptional leader. It didn’t matter what was going on this leader never lost his composure. I also worked for a leader, who always lost his cool.
I remember one time we almost missed a major deadline. Our team was responsible for preparing the morning briefing for the senior commander. Our General was hosting several senior foreign officers, and we had worked all night to finish the morning brief. Well, about an hour before the start of the meeting, our system crashed, and we lost all of our work.
As you can imagine, we were devastated. When my team leader told our supervisor what happened, he went ballistic. He started yelling and cussing at the team. I remember him screaming, “I am not taking the blame for this.”
My team leader tried to explain, but our supervisor would not listen. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, my supervisor turned his anger on us. Well, he was yelling so loud, someone down the hallway called our department head. When the Colonel entered the room, he just stood there observing the scene.
After a few minutes, he took charge of the situation. He asked what was going on. Our supervisor started to explain how the team had messed up when the Colonel asked him to leave. Once our supervisor was gone, my team leader explained what happened.
Once he had all the facts, he asked us several questions. Over the next 15 minutes, we developed a plan to recreate a slimmed-down version of the brief. He also told my team leader he would be briefing the material. Before he left the room, the Colonel told us he was confident in our ability to do the job.
I learned a valuable lesson that day.
“Adversity is a crossroads that makes a person chose one of two paths: character or compromise.”
John Maxwell
One leader chose to compromise and reveal his lack of character. The other leader chose to model character and empower us to discover the solution.
Maxwell also said, “When your comfort zone is dismantled, you are forced to face who you really are.” As a leader, you will face adversity. The question is, how will you respond? Will you rise to the challenge or cave under pressure?
Remember, you are the leader, and everyone is watching you. Your actions will determine how your team will respond. So, lead by example!
Has leading through adversity helped you discover who you are?
#YourLeadershipGuide
Kim
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