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Can Embarrassment Create Resilience? (Curt Swenson and Wendy Samson, 2015)


OK, level with me.  What’s the most embarrassing leadership moment from your career?  No, really.  I want to know.  Go ahead and add it in the comments below.  While it’s fun to hear other’s stories, there is a sound reason for this exercise.  And yes, I’ll share mine too!

As I recently wrote about in our weekly “Drip”, FEAR can stifle action when the stakes are high.  We fear we’re making a mistake, making the wrong decision, will jeopardize our careers, and yes, that we’ll be embarrassed.  Leadership requires action and the ability to be decisive under pressure.  When fear or worry keep us from acting, we aren’t being leaders.  Resilient leaders learn to manage their fears and act in spite of them.  But like so many  worthwhile attributes, resilience takes practice.  Here’s the good news…you already have everything you need to practice resilience!

In a March, 2015 interview in Forbes Magazine, Eric Greitens (a Navy SEAL, Rhodes Scholar, boxing champion, humanitarian leader and author of the new book, Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life), explained that it’s impossible to avoid worrying when you care about what you are doing.  “You are going to worry.  The key is to learn to worry productively.  And just as you can physically practice and rehearse, you can also mentally rehearse things in your mind.  Done well, you imagine hardship and you also plan how you will make it through things that are hard.”

So, when we think about our most embarrassing leadership moments, commit them to writing, and replay them in our minds, we’re actually becoming more resilient.  So share it, then ask yourself, “How did I get through that? And, if I can get through THAT, what else can I get through?”

To learn more about resilience and Courageous Leadership, contact FutureSYNC International at (406) 254-2326