We will all face difficult times at some point in our lives, however unlike Tiger Woods, we usually do not have to live them out in the public eye where so many are quick to judge or climb on the bandwagon to add their unwanted opinion on social media. Most of us are able to nurse ourselves through our adversity in private.

Those who have survived life’s adversities will tell you that a survival experience is an invaluable gift, because in adversity you get to know who you really are. How we handle adversity, challenge, and competition plays an enormous role in determining how things will turn out for us in life.

Much like many athletes, top leaders will also encounter adversity in their lives at some time or another. While not everyone is good at handling adversity, those who can use it to their advantage are clearly the winners. Whether you love to live your life on the edge, or are someone who prefers playing things safe, life will never be a bowl of cherries. It will inevitably throw some unpleasant surprises and challenges in your direction, be they in your personal or professional life.

While it is difficult to avoid the emotional roller coaster that can come with some of these surprises or challenges, strong leaders make it a point to learn from these situations and move on. Here are five ways strong leaders often get going when the going gets tough.

• They take responsibility – people who are faced with adversity will often shy away from owning the responsibility of their actions that may have led to the situation they find themselves in. Instead of blaming others for their professional setbacks, they take stock of what has happened and search for clues as to why something may have gone other than they expected so they do not repeat the same behavior or make the same mistake twice.
• They focus on their strengths – many people often work on improving their areas for development while ignoring their strengths. While improving these areas is essential for continued growth, one’s innate strengths come to the rescue to help us survive through difficult times. They focus on the positive side of life rather than constantly focusing on their areas of development.
• They are determined – actions speak louder than words and the one quality that will guarantee success is the willingness to stick with it. They refuse to settle for anything less than their dream and are determined to make it through thick and thin.
• They identify new goals – it is the perfect time to realign/revisit one’s goals and establish a new direction to move in when things are not going well. They take stock of the situation to gain a better understanding and set a new course for the future that they work towards achieving. 

• They treat feedback that is not always positive as a gift – failure is not a judgment of one’s abilities, it is a response to our actions telling us to make better use of our abilities the next time. They interpret feedback they may receive as a learning opportunity and instead of feeling angry or upset about this information they use it as a catalyst to make better use of their abilities moving forward.

As a leader in life or the workplace, I am sure there will be days you may feel that the obstacles you face are tougher to overcome than those of others around you. However, the reality is that every day ordinary people are required to rise above their circumstances, brush themselves off and carry on!

I would love to hear your thoughts as to what leaders can do to overcome adversity and I invite you to share them here with all of us in the comments section below. Thank you.

To Your Success!