This semester is nearly over and I would like to share a few thoughts on individual resiliency. But first, let me provide an instance of why it is needed:
Have you ever worked for a leader like this? Leslie Nielsen (R.I.P) may be the only leader who can walk the tightrope and be simultaneously oblivious to his constituents yet still be hysterically funny. On the other hand, when thought leaders such as this infiltrate our organizations and our lives, they are not funny, not funny at all. It's comforting to deny reality and think the facts will speak for themselves and vindicate us, but often this is simply not true.
When we first encounter a leader like this we feel bewildered. A No Excuses leader's inclination is to speak up, yet it is likely the leader will meet resistance. Some will shush you and others will agree with you behind closed doors. Soon we may find ourselves running up the slippery solution slope unable to resolve the issue with our old successful and sane mental models.
Facing this challenge we may feel fear. In her powerful book, Pema Chödrön details the mindset to overcome fear--become intimate with it. "If we commit ourselves to staying right where we are, then our experience becomes very vivid. Things become very clear when there is nowhere to escape." Only during times like these do we rediscover ourselves and decide if we want to remake ourselves with the haphazard tools of dysfunction into something greater than we thought possible.
When presented with a brief history of losing the Wampanoag Nation's land Warrior Jessie "Little Doe" Baird said "I don't know that I get heartbroken by it but it just gives me more motivation to fight for my language."
Resilience starts with you. Are you going to run in fear or are you going to learn the new rules, train and think like a warrior, and find the individual way in you to make yourself as sturdy as a weather beaten oak?
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