Front-Line Leadership

CHAPTER 3Practicing Resilience

I've shared a lot about the adversity that I faced in my life. But as a society, we entered unchartered waters in early 2020 with the COVID‐19 pandemic. Despite the challenges that I faced, I did not have a worldwide pandemic on my bingo card and you probably didn't either. But there we were—all of us facing a new challenge for which we were not well prepared. Every one of us was impacted, some more than others. Many people saw their jobs disappear overnight, our healthcare system was overwhelmed, education was disrupted, and who can forget about the toilet paper and supply chain shortages?!

When I reflect upon those challenges that we faced, I remember the ebbs and flows of optimism and pessimism on a near daily basis. Glimmers of hope were followed by the announcement of a new strain dragging us back down. It was tough. The mental health challenges that emerged during COVID‐19 are well documented and something that many are still dealing with.

So what did we do about it? Well, we got through it. But some people managed a lot better than others. In this chapter I'm going to share my experience and some practical tips that can help you be more resilient in the face of the unknown.

Getting Bad News

In February 2019, my wife and I began the journey of adopting a child. Month after month we waited to get that call that we were matched with a birth mother. We waited so long that some of our paperwork and medical tests expired and we had to do them ...