Leading in Difficult Times: Resilience is a Practice

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”   

—Viktor E. Frankl 

No one becomes a leader of anything without enduring difficult times. We all fall short of goals sometimes or face uncertainties. And to merely “pick ourselves up and try again” is not always realistic. Leaders must build resilience preemptively.  

Although often defined as "the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties," resilience strategies take time to fully embody and implement and most do not build these skills until facing a setback. We often think of resilient figures like Viktor Frankl, who survived the Holocaust and created Logotherapy, or Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Taliban for advocating girls' education and used the attack to spread her message. But resiliency skills help us to prepare for both everyday setbacks and the most challenging conditions.

Research shows that resilience can be learned and nurtured; moreover, it is a part of the human experience and when recognized, it grows. Emmy Werner, who spearheaded the first and longest longitudinal study on childhood resilience, clarified her own definition exploring the process of building resilience. 

Werner said resilience is not simply about enduring hardships or bouncing back, but about learning, growing, and thriving despite difficulties. Research in psychology and neuroscience has shown that resilience can be developed through mindset shifts, strong social connections, and purposeful action (Southwick & Charney, 2018). Moreover, perhaps the most important aspect of resilience is the necessity of having a strong purpose and clear values. 

When one has a strong purpose, challenges are more easily seen as opportunities for growth. And it is with this cognitive reframing of challenges that people are more likely to develop resilience (Dweck, 2017). Additionally, strong social support networks and a sense of purpose contribute significantly to one’s ability to overcome whatever external obstacles come their way.

An organizational example of purpose-based leadership and resilience is Patagonia. Founded by Yvon Chouinard, the company’s clear mission and unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability held fast over the years, despite economic pressures and supply chain disruptions.  

Whether we are exercising personal resilience or leading a team, we can adopt strategies to turn obstacles into opportunities for growth and success by reminding ourselves that it takes practice and hinges on a willingness to sacrifice short-term wins for enduring values. 

As leaders, we can all train ourselves to find the space Frankl spoke of, even when difficulty peaks. We do this by remembering the vastness of what we can control—ourselves and our perceptions of the world. These simple reminders can be an endless source of strength during difficult times. 

References

Chouinard, Y. (2022). Patagonia's Earth-First Business Model. Patagonia Press. 

Dweck, C. S. (2017). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books. 

Southwick, S. M., & Charney, D. S. (2018). Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges. Cambridge University Press. 

Werner, E. E. (1989). Vulnerable but invincible.