OVERCOMING OBSTACLES

Leadership can be tough. The road is filled with twists and turns, and detours
and potholes can throw anyone off their course. It’s easy to think of the
deviations and challenges as problems, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You
can learn to view them instead as opportunities to learn and grow.

Here are some well-tested strategies for making the most of adversity:

Define your priorities. In difficult times, minor setbacks and disappointments

can quickly add up and become overwhelming. Don’t allow yourself to be
distracted by minor inconveniences and disappointments—instead, focus on
overcoming the real obstacles that lie between you and your goals.

Accept it and move on. While some people have an easier path than others,
everyone will at some point suffer setbacks and difficulties. By accepting
adversity as a normal part of your leadership, you’ll waste less time feeling stuck
and overwhelmed.

Consider the implications. Think of all the reasons for your disappointment.

Could you have done something differently? Ask yourself in a problem-solving
way, not a self-blaming way, and try to be as objective as you can. Think of the
causes that led you to these circumstances and think about what you’d do if you
could rewind the experience and have another run at it.

Turn it inside out. To overcome adversity, you have to focus on the positive—
whether that means the positive aspects of your situation or the positive results
you’ll feel when you achieve what you want in the future. Turn your negatives
into positives whenever you can.

Listen to others. It can be hard to listen when things are tough, but that is
exactly when you most need to get out of your head and listen to everyone who
is offering advice. When you do, you may discover opportunities, lessons and
wisdom that you couldn’t attain any other way.

Don’t shut yourself off. Most people—especially leaders—believe they have to

deal with everything by themselves when they hit a wall or go down the wrong
path. Don’t isolate yourself in bad times. Let those you trust move close and help
you overcome the difficulty you’re going through. Someday you’ll have the
opportunity to return the favor or pay it forward.

Try not to repeat yourself. Make it your policy never to make the same mistake
twice. At the same time, recognize that you are only human, and like any other
human you’ll make plenty of other mistakes in your time on earth.

Focus on the future. Learn what you can from the past and quickly shift to
applying those lessons to the future. You can’t change the past, and lingering on
it may contribute to making the challenge seem even worse. The future,
however, is always filled with possibilities and opportunities.

Lead from within: Learn how to overcome your obstacles, because challenges

and difficulties often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.