I had written this guest article for the Transcend Talent Transformation Blog.  Here it is.

These are challenging times we live in. Whether we work for a corporation or have struck out on our own, stress-causing situations are inevitable. Obstacles, disappointments and failures will visit us and we will desperately need the ability to withstand these shocks if we are to go on. This ability, called fortitude, is without a doubt an indispensable leadership trait. While we build this ability from early childhood itself, we can also learn as adults to deal with the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”, as Hamlet soliloquizes, from understanding that nothing great was achieved easily. That overnight success usually takes ten years, as someone said. It occurred to me that the words of past leaders themselves can inspire us in this matter. Who better to weigh in on this timeless need than those who have faced tremendous adversity in their lives and know of what they speak.

Consider my first example, Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister who uttered the following words in the House of Commons as his country started to accept the certainty of a German blitz during the Second World War:

“We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

These words of rhetoric, only a small part of his entire speech, stirred the British with their uncompromising spirit and courage and have become an indelible part of that nation’s lore. They tell us in no uncertain terms that Churchill was determined to last, but was also clear-eyed about what the coming days would entail.

There’s a lesson worth learning here for leaders in the workplace. When teams face setbacks and crises, it is vital that leaders display a Churchillian resolve and strength of spirit that inspires the confidence of their team. It is also equally important that leaders don’t view the challenges of a turnaround through rose-tinted glasses, that they recognize clearly the ordeal ahead and communicate that reality to their teams in no uncertain terms.

For their sheer power in inspiring us about staying the course in the face of failures and disappointment, I look no further than these words from basketball great and NBA star of the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan.

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

I have learned from personal experience that we motivate our teams more through our actions than by any other means. When teams see for themselves how their leader faces challenges and setbacks, acknowledges them, and keeps going, they are inspired to follow his/her example. Jordan’s misses and losses also assure us that failures are not unknown to champions; what sets them apart is how they react to such defeats. When I need to buck up and stand again after a setback, Jordan’s words never fail me.

Nelson Mandela has showed us all how to stand strong and how to be a leader by his very life. His words, honest and humble, do the same:

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

Mandela is telling us that it is normal to feel fear, that there is no shame in the feeling itself and that there is more fulfillment in the journey than in the destination.

Leaders have a dual responsibility in managing adversity. While they strengthen their own resolve to keep going, they also must help their teams deal with difficult times. Leaders do this successfully by putting in place a culture of frequent engagement, sharing relevant information in a timely manner and sharing a road-map of the future. Realizing that emotions tend to run high in crises, leaders should display emotional competence in all their interactions, not fly off the handle.

A last thought: where does this courage come from? A healthy self-esteem is a must. An optimism that matters will take a turn for the better doesn’t hurt. Knowing that “this too shall pass” helps. Dear reader, what do you think?