The resilient leader

I’ve read him, I’ve heard him, and I’ve finally gotten to listen to him speak in person when I attended his seminar in San Francisco a few years ago. Not only is he a brilliant speaker, he’s quite funny too.

True to my being a Filipino, I had my picture taken with him. Two pictures actually, just to be sure. He is kind as he is generous – I asked permission if I can feature his works in my radio program and in my business column, and he said, “Oh, go ahead and use it…”

You’re probably wondering who this person is. He’s Jeffrey Gittomer, currently the world’s foremost sales guru.

In his book The Little Book of Leadership, Gittomer says that you and I are the essence of our reactions, responses, recovery and reputation. He also says, “Resilience doesn’t start with experience – it starts with attitude.”

At this point, let me pull a “Jeffrey Gittomer” and ask you to picture the following scenarios in your mind:

SCENARIO #1: Your employee says, “I can’t finish the project today. It will take me another week.”

SCENARIO #2: You have one solid prospective customer left this month, and if they don’t buy, you don’t make your quota. They call you and say, “We’ve decided to buy from your competition.”

SCENARIO #3: Your best employee gives two weeks’ notice that he’s going to work for the competition.

SCENARIO #4: Your computer crashes, and you’re not certain when you backed it up last. And if you are a trainer like me, the session is about to start in half an hour.

SCENARIO #5: You get an email from your boss telling you that they’ve revised the compensation plan, and unless you do 20% more, you’ll earn 20% less.

SCENARIO #6: You finally get an appointment with the biggest prospect you’ve ever had. They’ve agreed to see you for one hour. You arrive, and the decision maker doesn’t show up.

SCENARIO #7: You’re the CEO of your company, and the board has decided that you should be replaced.

SCENARIO #8: You trust your people, but then when they leave, you find out that they’ve been secretly forming a business that would compete with yours.

These are all real-life and real-world scenarios that happen on a regular basis. These are scenarios that challenge and test your mental strength as a leader. But handling such situations is hardly discussed in business schools or in your MBA classes.

You need resilience in tough situations like these. And Gittomer says that resilience is how you react, respond and recover from those situations. It starts with your own strength of attitude. If you’re easily dismayed, if your self-confidence level is low or your self-esteem is lacking, or if your self-image is in doubt, each of the scenarios above can easily be taken as a disaster.

I’ve learned that I may not be able to control circumstances and events, but it’s within my ability to control the way I will respond – not react – to those circumstances and events.

My resilience comes when I lift up the entire situation with thanksgiving in my heart to God and ask Him to give me the wisdom to handle it well. This relaxes me, keeps my temper and attitude in check, and helps me believe that every situation opens a new opportunity to explore new things. And I’ve proven that, as long as you stay in the right and do what’s right, things will become better. Henry Ward Beecher, clergyman, social reformer and speaker, said: “Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself. Never pity yourself. Be a hard master to yourself – and be lenient to everybody else.”

Resilience is key.

(Develop your leadership skills and spend two whole days with Francis Kong, as he facilitates the well-acclaimed Dr. John C. Maxwell Program “Developing The Leader Within You” on April 25-26 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. For further inquiries, contact Lylee at 09175482876, or call 632-6310912 for details.)