Hardiness

CHAPTER 12The Hardy Leader

“No matter what your current condition, how or where you grew up, or what education or training you feel you lack, you can be successful in your chosen endeavor. It is spirit, fortitude, and hardiness that matter more than where you start.”

—Jack Ma (Chinese business magnate, one of China’s richest men)

Can hardiness help you be a better leader? Based on a growing body of evidence, the answer appears to be yes. Leaders today operate in a world where things are changing faster than ever before. What looks like a good strategy today can be a total disaster when the environment shifts, which is happening more and more often. Harvard professor Ron Heifetz argues that in order to succeed in this rapidly changing environment, leaders need more than ever to be adaptive. In his book Leadership Without Easy Answers, Heifetz makes the case that truly adaptive leaders are curious and willing to try new approaches, courageous enough to endure the discomforts of change, and committed enough to follow through on their ideas. They also recognize that they can’t control or manage such complex challenges alone; the adaptive leader works on building an organization and workforce that share these qualities (Heifetz, 1994). And while adaptive leadership can be learned, it is rooted in personal attitudes, behaviors, and habits.

The hardiness mindset can have a major influence on a person’s capacity to adapt. As we have seen, considerable research shows that people ...