In last week’s blog post we explored the importance of having a solid foundation within your team, and the company as a whole, that will be able to withstand the challenges of adversity when it hits. We also looked at how critical it is to have a solid action plan in order to effectively overcome challenges.
The Will to Win
As solutions are attempted, ups and downs will occur. Leaders often take their people into new territory. Things don’t always follow the plan. Defeating setbacks requires humility, resilience, and flexibility from the leader, according to Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumphs. This is manifested in the inner will.
Leaders must reflect this for their people, and inspire it in them. They should demonstrate the desire to apply themselves in the most effective way, and maintain this energy until the setback is overcome.
Being an encourager is part of leadership responsibility. The things most worth doing are difficult, and difficult things take time. The leader prompts everyone to be determined not to give in or give up – this is the will to win.
HP’s purchase into touch screen consumer products offered them a solid opportunity amongst the top competitors. But underdeveloped hardware, software, and relationships with carriers caused the walls to close in. After spending billions of dollars, the strategy was abandoned just months after launch, instead of pressing forward with the will to overcome. Their prospects for tablets and smartphones vaporized, as the market for them soared.
A strong will also calls for wisdom and discernment. The solutions being tried need to be weighed to minimize the chance of bad surprises. Smart leaders oversee the planning of alternate routes, just in case. They anticipate what can go wrong, accept the outcomes that can’t be controlled, and maneuver toward the ones that can.
Leaders who can stand up to stiff opposition, whether circumstances or people, will forge a strength in their staff, and inspire them to respond boldly. Unity builds a force more powerful than can come from the same number of individuals.
The tragedy is not that things go wrong or that crises knock you down. The tragedy is that when a leader doesn’t have the skills or the will to take their organization through the trial, they miss the opportunity to learn from it, and grow because of it.
If you’ve recently found yourself facing a challenge at work that you’re unprepared to lead your team through and need some coaching, or are looking to for help to cultivate the required strong foundation within your team, I am here to help. I can be reached here or on LinkedIn.
