Leadership will always suffer times when difficulties create discouragement. How do leaders survive these times and grow stronger as leaders?

Here a few suggestions to consider.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Knowing adversity will come to leadership helps in preparing beforehand for dealing with those times of discouragement.

Focus on an area of expertise. We might phrase it more accurately, “one at a time.” Discouragement is usually the result of feeling overwhelmed with the enormity.

Learn the value of walking away. There are times when taking a break from the situation and clearing the mind helps leaders in assessing what needs to be done.

Seek counsel with other survivors. One of the most effective ways to handle the adversity of life is through the encouragement of others who have survived the same.

Remember to seek the good in all situations. Advice is always easier to give than follow, and this is no exception. However, there are always lessons learned that benefit leaders.

Leaders cannot avoid, must not ignore, and should never neglect adversity. Instead, learning to survive the fallout when adversity exists makes leaders stronger.