{"id":12791,"date":"2018-03-10T22:15:30","date_gmt":"2018-03-11T06:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getlighthouse.com\/blog\/?p=12791"},"modified":"2024-07-11T09:32:40","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T09:32:40","slug":"mental-toughness-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getlighthouse.com\/blog\/mental-toughness-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"How Great Leaders Develop Mental Toughness to Thrive"},"content":{"rendered":"

Viktor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist. <\/span><\/p>\n

He was also a Holocaust survivor.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1945, he, his wife, and his parents were sent to the Theresienstadt Ghetto in Czechoslovakia.\u00a0<\/span>As Frankl was transferred to a variety of concentration camps, he and his family became separated. Tragically, they all\u00a0perished, while<\/span>\u00a0Frankl was saved by Allied forces in April, 1945.<\/span><\/p>\n

While in the concentration camps, he witnessed sadness and hopelessness in his fellow inmates. However, he also saw hope.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Man's Search for Meaning<\/h3>\n

Frankl wrote a book on his experience in concentration camps and his philosophy of life that evolved there. In this book, <\/span>Man's Search for Meaning<\/span><\/a>, he recalls that those who best-managed camp life were best at controlling their attitude:<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"The men who walked through the huts, comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread\u2026 [was] sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: <\/span><\/i>the last of the human freedoms\u2014to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.<\/i><\/b>\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Frankl realized that even in the worst circumstances, you can persevere if you have the right mindset and mental toughness. As he put it, <\/span>\"Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how.'\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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The mentally <\/em>tough survive<\/b><\/h3>\n

Thankfully, most executives and managers will never deal with the hardships that Frankl and others imprisoned in the Holocaust endured.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, today's leaders do deal with stressful events that can hurt their self-esteem and test their character.\u00a0<\/span>Frankl's experience and writings show that mental toughness is\u00a0an essential part of successfully overcoming great challenges. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you want to sustain long-term growth, you must become <\/span>more resilient.<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>However,\u00a0you shouldn't be the only resilient one in your organization. For your company to thrive, you\u00a0should also teach mental toughness to your employees, so that it can become part of your team and company's culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

How Leaders can Develop and Teach Mental Toughness<\/b><\/h2>\n

Great leaders have<\/span> a growth mindset<\/span><\/a>. They know they can develop new skills and learn new things when they put their mind to it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Mental toughness is an ability you can develop like any other. Here's a few tactics to help you and your team become more mentally tough: <\/span><\/p>\n

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Remember: You're in Control of Your Attitude<\/b><\/h2>\n

A positive attitude is crucial to\u00a0developing your mental toughness.\u00a0<\/span>In Man's Search for Meaning<\/a>, Frankl shares his belief that we can control how we handle threats. Thus, defeat is a choice. And so is triumph.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>For instance, when Frankl was experiencing great pain from foot sores, he started to think negative thoughts, making him feel hopeless.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>But then he started daydreaming to escape his terrible condition:<\/span>
<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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\"Suddenly, I saw myself standing on the platform of a well-lit, warm and pleasant lecture room. In front of me sat an attentive audience on a comfortable upholstered seats. I was giving a lecture on the psychology of the concentration camp! \u2026 <\/span><\/i>I succeeded somehow in rising above the situation, above the sufferings of the moment, and I observed them as if they were already of the past.<\/i><\/b>\u201d<\/span><\/i>
<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Coping strategies like visualization allowed Frankl to endure\u00a0harsh conditions and starvation. Meanwhile,\u00a0many of his fellow prisoners felt overwhelmed by their circumstances and wallowed in self-pity.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>By changing his attitude, Frankl was able to overcome his foot injury. Others he helped with the same mindset were also able to survive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turn Your Struggles into Advantages<\/b><\/h3>\n

In the book, <\/span>Crucibles of Leadership<\/span><\/a>, Professor Robert J Thomas noticed a common trait among <\/span>high-performing leaders<\/span><\/a>. They were able to overcome doubts and find meaning in stressful circumstances.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>These leaders had \"adaptive capabilities,\" which Thomas defined with a simple formula:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Adaptive capability = the ability to grasp context + \u00a0hardiness (perseverance and toughness)<\/b>
<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

When Thomas and his partner interviewed 40 top leaders in the business and public sector, they all recounted intense, and often traumatic, experiences that helped them better manage people.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>By viewing obstacles as learning experiences, these leaders could better deal with them. In doing so, they were increasing their mental toughness.<\/span>
<\/span><\/p>\n

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A humbling passing<\/h3>\n

Amazon executive <\/span>Jeff Wilke<\/span><\/a> experienced an epiphany when an employee died at the chemical plant he managed. <\/span>He realized that he was a terrible boss. He was putting money over the well-being of his workers. <\/span><\/p>\n

As an analytical person, his feelings were often detached from his work. But, this death convinced Wilke that he had to change:<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"I was no longer willing to focus on [just] the business...I began to give myself permission to have emotion about my work. <\/span><\/i>At the end of the day, leadership is about people, and you can't separate their lives from their work or your work.<\/i><\/b>\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Moments like this turn a negative situation into a positive. They motivate lasting change for the better.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Power of Optimism<\/b><\/h2>\n

When managers rethink trauma, they tend to embrace challenges.\u00a0<\/span>This optimism is key to building mental toughness and not letting adversity stop you.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>Psychology researchers\u00a0<\/span>Martin Seligman and Donald Hiroto<\/span><\/a>\u00a0performed a famous experiment on animals and humans that showed how easy it is to lose your positive outlook. <\/span><\/p>\n

In this experiment, they divided everyone into three groups: <\/span><\/p>\n