When a Kick In the Teeth Will Help You!

 

You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the
teeth may be the best thing in the world for you. - Walt Disney

Adversity.  This word has been simmering in my head lately for a number of reasons both personally and professionally.  What does it mean?  What does it feel like for me when I handle it?  What do others do when they are handling adversity?  Does it make a difference if you are handling it at work or at home?  Why do some handle adversity one way while others do it differently and in some cases completely the opposite?  

A recent example happened last weekend in our office.  One person was rushed to a hospital on Friday night.  At first, we were unaware of the specific details, but we were told of the purported severity.  While, thankfully, there was no terminal danger it was thought to be serious enough that they would be out of work for at least a few weeks.  

It was amazing to watch the whole company jump into action.  Plans were discussed on how to take over their work while they were gone.  A handful of the team discussed how they would take over the travel for him during his absence.  Others talked about how they would be able to help out his family at home.  In the matter of minutes, there was a plan in place instilling a feeling of calmness in the group for the better part of 24 hours after the initial news.  

Over the next 48 hours we waited and hoped all would be OK.  In this situation, while the person had dangerous symptoms, it turned out to be nothing more serious than a scare..  As I write this article, the person is back at work and doing just fine.  

The steps we took to handle adversity were to take in the initial scare, determine the actions required, and then be satisfied with the actions to attain a sense of calmness and peace.

This type of situation is not uncommon, nor is the way we handled it.  In fact, I am sure if you replaced the health aspect of the story with some other situation at work, you would come up with similar steps for your group.  I did some research on the word adversity and what I discovered fascinated and encouraged me.  Nowadays it means misfortune or difficulties.  However, the origin of the word comes from the Latin word “advertere” which means turn toward.  

We all have been shown various ways to handle adversity and have leaned toward our favored approach to handling it.  As its etymology suggests, we should embrace adversity as leaders and project managers in our community; expect it and leverage it to turn perceived trouble into team or family strength.  As the inspiring author of The Seven Habits of Successful People advises:  

Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition
 - such as lifting weights - we develop our character muscles by
overcoming challenges and adversity. -Stephen Covey