How do resilient individuals attain resilience?
What characteristics grant them the ability to withstand adverse circumstances that can destroy the resolve of other, weaker people?
In 2009, the Department of the Army established the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF) program with the goal of enhancing "the resilience, readiness and potential of Soldiers."
The CSF program goes well beyond traditional training that increased physical health. It emphasizes "human potential through a focus on positive emotions, traits, institutions, and social relationships," according to a report from Peter W. Chiarelli, U.S. Army Vice Chief of Staff.
Both then and currently, soldiers learn to banish negativity by centering on "what is good – rather than bad – in one’s life." This is a part of mindfulness and the science of happiness. And it leads not only to resilience, but to greater courage and a mindset for success.
Soldiers in this program handled stress better and exhibited greater resilience.
If you had control of your thoughts, actions, and emotions in each moment, how would you be different? How would your entire life be different? How much better do you think it could be?
The secret for improving your performance under stress, and dramatically increasing your conscious control over your thoughts and emotions lies in taking control over your mindset, both before and during high-stakes situations.
Before high stakes situations, taking time to align your mind and consciously "set" your mindset, thoughts, and emotions can reap huge rewards.
But even the most high-achieving military professionals, Olympic athletes, and business leaders periodically have their mindset compromised by negative or fearful thoughts that could sabotage their success.
The difference between these mentally tough, high performers and the average person is that these leaders continually use three very important steps to overcome their insecurities and doubts:
And it is the process for reframing negativity that leads to resilience. When setbacks occur to a fearless leader, she doesn't react to the negative event or her naturally occurring negative emotions. Instead she responds to the event and the emotions by reframing that negativity and keeping her mind on track to effectively learn from and deal with the situation.
And that is how a real leader responds with resilience -- through conscious control of her mindset!
If you habitually and consciously control your mindset to master control of your thoughts, actions, and emotions in each moment:
If you don't already have a reliable process for reframing your negative thoughts or pre-conditioning your mind for optimal performance, you can find exercises and tools to do so here.
But you can't reframe a negative thought or mindset until you first become a ware of it. And that's why learning to be more present and mindful is such a critical first step to becoming a mindset maniac.
Once you understand how to observe your own thinking, you will have more control of your mind, including more control over your emotions, and you'll become more conscious in the moment, and better able to take positive action when it matters.
You could do so by working with the Fearless Leaders Tools.
Or you could dramatically accelerate your results by working with a Fearless Leaders Group Coach.
But before you start on either path, we recommend that you take our What Kind of Fearless Leader Are You? Quiz.
Because different natural leadership styles show resilience differently. And knowing which style is natural to you can help you develop your resilience faster and more effectively.
Fearless Leaders grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t let go. It’s the most practical book I’ve read on how to heighten mindfulness and ignite personal courage. It’s a powerful book, tough at times, tender at others. From her own fearless experiences, and those of leaders she’s studied, Dr. Cathy Greenberg offers revealing self-assessments, intimate first-person examples, and engaging applied exercises. Follow the steps she outlines and they will enable you to achieve higher levels of performance and greater awareness of yourself and your environment. With Fearless Leaders as your guide you’ll make better decisions and lead a more passionate life. You can’t ask for more than that from any book!
—Jim Kouzes
Fearless Leaders tackles (and teaches) one of the most complex attributes of outstanding leaders throughout history, moral courage.
—Amy Edmondson
That's a tough one, moral courage is hard to teach and it's such an important quality for leaders. If we could get more people to step up to use moral courage more often - we would see better results.
—Jerry Boykin
After having the pleasure of recording an On Demand Seminar with Dr. Cathy Greenberg, I was astonished by her ground-breaking perspective on leadership, and the role she takes herself as an inspirational leader. Not only did I learn to sharpen my focus, she also showed me how to achieve greater confidence and courage to become an inspirational leader myself. She was truly a pleasure to work with, and I am thrilled that she accepted to be a faculty at the Gazelles Growth Institute.
—Daniel Marcos
hello@fearlessequalsfreedom.com
