Every leader knows storms will come. No matter how successful an organization, there will come a situation that rocks the business to the core. It may be a pandemic, a ruthless competitor or poor business performance. Hard times are inevitable and a part of life. The question is not if..but when will the storms come. So, what differentiates a purpose-driven leader from the rest?? I call it the G+R or the grit and resilience.

Grit and resilience are two important traits of a purpose-driven leader. Webster’s dictionary defines grit (when referring to behavior) as “firmness of character; indomitable spirit”. Others have defined it as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals.” A gritty leader has courage and is not afraid to tank. They embrace fear as part of the process. They understand that there is a valuable lesson in the struggle or the defeat. They realize that the vulnerability of perseverance is mandatory for high achievement and excellence. As a result, they hunker down and orchestrate their game plan. They realize it is not going to be a sprint.. it will be a marathon and they maintain their tenacity for the long-haul.

The word resilience originates from the Latin verb resilire meaning “to leap back” or “to recoil”. In Webster’s dictionary it is defined as “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties”. Resilience is the quality of being able to adapt to stressful life changes and “bouncing back” from hardship. Resilience is a response to tragedy, crisis, or other life-altering changes that allows us to move on despite the difficulty. Showing resilience does not mean that a person is unaffected or uncaring about the life change. Resilience is the human heart’s ability to suffer greatly and grow from it.

Resilient people thrive under pressure and make the best of any circumstances thrown their way. When purpose-driven leaders demonstrate resilience, they show people around them what they are capable of despite adversity and set-backs. This causes their team members to trust in them and creates a belief that together they can conquer any challenges thrown their way.

Leaders who couple grit with resilience are capable of providing consistent effort toward a goal with the ability to bounce back after a failure or struggle…with excellence as the end result. Thus, the winning equation for a purpose-driven leader is G+R=SUCCESS!

Comment and share below.