⛈️ How do you handle a storm at work–face it or turn your back on it?
What’s your take on this?
"If personality is how you show up on a typical day, character is how you show up on a difficult day."
–Adam Grant
To me, this is the difference between your resume and your actions. What you say you will do, and what you actually do. What the marketing promises versus how the product actually performs, or what’s in the box. Do you run for cover when the going gets tough, or do you lock the door?
Anybody can be a leader when things are going well (and we ALL have the capacity to lead in some way), but not everybody can be–or wants to be– a leader when things go to sh*t.
Why do some people run for cover when things get tough, while others learn to stand in the heat?
I believe resilience can be learned—but only if there’s a strong enough why. For some, their WHY is integrity. For others, it's a goal worth fighting for. And sometimes, the stakes are simply too high to walk away.
Imagine you’ve just been promoted. New title. New team. People reporting to you. Maybe a nicer office, a pay bump, and—here’s the part many overlook—new responsibilities.
Three months in, things are going well. Your team is bonding, you’re learning their strengths, feedback is positive, and you’re starting to feel settled.
⛈️ Then a storm hits.
A key project suddenly falls behind schedule. Your team is stretched thin, and the pressure from senior leadership is mounting. One of your top performers hands in their resignation, and another is struggling but won’t admit it. The dynamics shift—where once there was harmony, now there’s tension. You start questioning yourself: Am I really cut out for this?
This is the moment where many leaders feel the urge to retreat—to micromanage, to avoid difficult conversations, or to hope the storm passes on its own. But what if, instead of running for cover, you learned how to stand in the heat?
When the pressure hits, what’s your WHY? What keeps you standing in the heat instead of running for cover? And, how do you handle the storm?
Dan
PS. If you’re a manager or leader: Take this short quiz to discover where you’re succeeding and where there’s room for development.
Struggling to find joy in your work right now? Read this.
