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What If Adversity Isn’t a Setback—but a Setup?
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Welcome to Light on Leadership! In under two minutes, our newsletter delivers one book recommendation, one leadership action step, and two leadership tips. We know you're busy, so we've designed this content to be both useful and shareable. Enjoy!
What are we reading? The Five Practices of Highly Resistant People. Why Some Flourish When Others Fold.
- by Taryn Marie Stejska
Adversity is an essential part of personal growth and self-discovery. Resilience isn’t measured by how quickly we “bounce back” or by living a life free of challenges. True resilience is the ability to face hardship head-on, work through it with intention, and emerge stronger, wiser, and more grounded than before.
No leader—regardless of experience, talent, or preparation—is exempt from struggle. Difficult seasons are uncomfortable, but they often become our greatest classrooms. The moments we resist the most are often the ones that shape us the most.
Whether you’re early in your leadership journey or well-established, it’s important to remember that not everything will unfold according to plan. While adversity rarely feels beneficial in the moment, looking back reveals how past obstacles helped us develop clarity, confidence, and capacity. The same challenges we once thought might break us often become the very experiences that prepared us for the next level of leadership.
👉 Quick Action Step:
Identify one past challenge that once felt overwhelming but ultimately helped shape you as a leader. Write down what you learned from that experience and how it strengthened your leadership. Then, keep it somewhere visible this week as a reminder that current adversity may be building your next level of growth.
Purchase this book! https://www.amazon.com/Practices-Highly-Resilient-People-Flourish/dp/0306831619
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Two Tips
In this short clip, we’re reminded that adversity is not a detour—it’s a direction. As leaders, we often meet challenges and setbacks thinking they’re roadblocks. But what if, instead, they’re invitations to grow, adapt, and lead with greater depth?
“When you’re at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
