- \n
- Personal Trauma:\u00a0<\/strong>Often unexpected and shocking, personal trauma is generally an experience you can’t control, and that causes feelings of confusion or loss. This could be anything from the coronavirus pandemic to a death in the family to surviving a car crash.<\/li>\n
- Discrimination & Injustice:\u00a0<\/strong>Whether it occurs in the workplace or another part of your life, experiencing discrimination or injustice is one of the most common hardships. This involves a wide range of subtle and overt, intentional and unintentional behavior and actions that can cause long-lasting negative consequences.<\/li>\n
- Mistakes & Failures:\u00a0<\/strong>Such mistakes can be technical, professional, ethical, or strategic \u2014 for example, a product malfunction, a poor hiring decision, a loss of credibility, or a collapsed venture. It can often feel difficult to bounce back from these failures, especially if they\u2019re larger in scale, tied to a deeper workplace culture or issue, or far-reaching in their impact.<\/li>\n
- Career Setbacks:\u00a0<\/strong>Sometimes career setbacks are unavoidable or out of your control. It could be organization-wide layoffs, a freeze on hiring or promotions, a company reorganization, or a wide array of less severe but nonetheless significant events.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In most learning and development work, we follow the classic 70-20-10 rule<\/a>, trying to find ways to provide people with challenging \u2014 or stretch \u2014 assignments, such as taking on a new role or difficult assignment. Sometimes called \u201cheat experiences<\/a>,\u201d the majority of learning from these challenges comes from the success of meeting them.<\/p>\n
Hardships are similar in that we learn from pushing through the challenge we face. By facing an initial lack of success with resilience, we can actually grow considerably more through reframing how we approach these difficult experiences.<\/p>\n
Though hardships were long an overlooked influence on leadership learning<\/a>, people are beginning to recognize now that they can be mined for key leadership lessons.<\/p>\n
4 Lessons Learned From Hardships & Adversity<\/h2>\n
Hardships can bring unexpected gifts if we\u2019re open to gleaning lessons from them. While this isn’t automatic, anyone can find and embrace these silver linings. Here are 4 lessons learned from hardships.<\/p>\n
![\"Infographic:](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/infographic-lessons-learned-from-hardships-adversity-Center-for-Creative-Leadership-1024x536.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWhat We Learn From Hardships<\/h3>\n
1. Compassion & Sensitivity.<\/h4>\n
A\u00a0significant dose of humility\u00a0usually comes with hardship. It\u2019s never easy to confront the truth that you aren\u2019t perfect, invincible, or immune to difficult or even terrible\u00a0things. But going through hardship can open your eyes to the hardships of others. Receiving support and\u00a0help from others may motivate you to give support more readily. Your sense of compassion\u00a0can grow.<\/p>\n
2. Self-Knowledge & Perspective.<\/h4>\n
Hardships force you to come face-to-face with who you are. Lessons learned from hardships often reveal limitations, patterns, beliefs, and skills you didn\u2019t see or appreciate before. This shift, which\u00a0increases self-awareness,<\/a>\u00a0is powerful. You have the chance to\u00a0make new choices based on what matters; how you act, think, and feel; and what you can and can\u2019t\u00a0do.<\/p>\n
3. Limits of Control.<\/h4>\n
As much as you might want to chart your own path, hardship is a powerful reminder of the limits of your own control. By acknowledging and embracing those limits on your power, you can put down some of the weight you\u2019re carrying and accept that some things aren\u2019t up to you.<\/p>\n
4. Flexibility.<\/h4>\n
Surviving hardship and willing yourself to move forward builds\u00a0added strength\u00a0to\u00a0tackle new challenges and face future failures. Flexibility allows you to be resilient and durable as things\u00a0change<\/a>. It teaches you to be open to learning and agile as you figure out what to do next.<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re in the middle of a really tough time, these gifts may seem far away or irrelevant \u2014 but\u00a0they’re invaluable.<\/p>\n
\nRead our white paper<\/a> to learn how hardship can be transformational for individuals and organizations, and discover the importance of taking bold actions to push toward reinvention.\n<\/div>\nHow to Learn Lessons From the Hardships You Face<\/h2>\n
6 Ways to Grow from Adversity<\/h3>\n
Here are a few suggestions to help you glean silver linings from difficult times:<\/p>\n
1. Don\u2019t let the hardship be everything.<\/h4>\n
Rest, exercise, and make time for wellness<\/a> where you can. Spend time \u2014 even if it\u2019s remotely \u2014 reconnecting with people who make you laugh, and do things that get your mind off your troubles. Recovery time, even if in small amounts, is essential for learning.<\/p>\n
2. Don\u2019t be ashamed of failures, mistakes, or struggles.<\/h4>\n
To learn, you need to reflect on the experience. Plus, reluctance to talk to others or get support can make your hardship that much more difficult to overcome. Instead of beating yourself up over it, figure out what you can do differently in the future, and keep moving forward.<\/p>\n
3. Avoid defensiveness.<\/h4>\n
Resist the temptation to put the blame on the situation or others\u2019 shortcomings. Try not to react defensively when other people give you feedback or point out things you are (or aren\u2019t) doing. Denying problems or shifting blame away from yourself will not serve you in the long run.<\/p>\n
4. Keep asking questions.<\/h4>\n
Reflect:<\/p>\n
- \n
- How might this hardship be a new challenge? <\/em><\/li>\n
- What might I learn as a\u00a0result? <\/em><\/li>\n
- How might lessons from past experiences apply? <\/em><\/li>\n
- How am I feeling? <\/em><\/li>\n
- What\u2019s my intuition telling me? <\/em><\/li>\n
- What are my actions telling me about what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not working? <\/em><\/li>\n
- What can I learn from what I and others did in this situation? <\/em><\/li>\n
- What feedback do I need to seek from others? <\/em><\/li>\n
- How might this help me going forward?<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
5. Connect with others.<\/h4>\n
If you\u2019re experiencing discrimination, bias, or injustice, reach out to people who can relate or support you. Internalizing the experience won\u2019t help you or anyone else, and it will only allow the situation to fester. Identify people you trust and figure out how you\u2019d like to proceed.<\/p>\n
6. Look back to find your lessons of experience.<\/h4>\n
Hardships aren\u2019t the main way people learn \u2014 experience is the primary teacher. Our Lessons of Experience<\/em> research tells us that almost a quarter of all leadership development stems from hardships. That\u2019s more than classroom experiences or formal training opportunities, meaning that what you\u2019re going through right now could be a powerful catalyst on your leadership journey. Consider using our\u00a0Experience Explorer\u2122 activity<\/a>\u00a0for yourself and others.<\/p>\n
Hardship is painful. But if you can learn from it, and turn it into an opportunity for growth, you gain something back that stays with you forever.<\/p>\n
Ready to Take the Next Step?<\/h2>\n
- What might I learn as a\u00a0result? <\/em><\/li>\n
- Discrimination & Injustice:\u00a0<\/strong>Whether it occurs in the workplace or another part of your life, experiencing discrimination or injustice is one of the most common hardships. This involves a wide range of subtle and overt, intentional and unintentional behavior and actions that can cause long-lasting negative consequences.<\/li>\n