Leadership & Character – Reacting to Setbacks

Many years ago when I was working for Loblaw companies, I remember attending a management conference where a remarkable individual by the name of W. Mitchell did the keynote address. He was a perfect example of an individual with great leadership and character; someone who reacted positively to the setbacks he had encountered in his life. The title of his keynote address was “It’s Not What Happens To You, It’s What You Do About It™ “. Mr. Mitchell had also written a book with the same title. His talk was fairly straightforward and yet incredibly powerful. In a nutshell, he talked about his belief that even in the most difficult circumstances, you have a choice with respect to how you respond to what has happened to you – you can either play the role of a victim and wallow in self-pity, or you can choose to move forward in as positive a manner as possible. What made his message so powerful were his own life circumstances and the degree to which he had followed his own advice. In 1971, at the age of 28, W. Mitchell was involved in a horrific motorcycle accident where he sustained burns to 65% of his body. Four months in hospital gave him the opportunity to think deeply about how to deal with the situation. He embraced a philosophy/theology/ concept called “Morehouse” that advocates taking responsibility for your actions no matter what happens to you.

Armed with determination not to be a victim, W. Mitchell worked hard to make the most of his life. In a few short years, through hard work and a positive approach, he became a successful businessman in Colorado. He also became a pilot and bought a Cessna airplane which he regularly flew, overcoming the physical limitations that the burns from the motorcycle accident had imposed on him. This all seemed very impressive . . . but the story doesn’t end there. In November of 1975, W. Mitchell got into the cockpit of his plane with the intention of flying from his home in Colorado to San Francisco California. Unfortunately, despite significant efforts to clean the wings of the plane on a cold Colorado morning, there was ice on the wings of the airplane and, after taking off, the airplane was not able to maintain altitude. Realizing there was a problem, he turned the plane around but the flight dynamics were compromised and the result was a crash landing on the airport runway.

His passengers were able to get out of the damaged plane but W Mitchell once again had his life circumstance altered by fate as he sustained a crushed vertebra which resulted in paralysis from the waist down. Mitchell recalls lying in the hospital bed after the crash and wondering “why me – wasn’t it enough that I got burned in a motorcycle crash?” However, the success he had enjoyed after his motorcycle crash convinced him that now, more than ever, he needed to abandon any thoughts of a victim mentality. His success as a businessman hardly skipped a beat and within a couple of years of the plane crash, he entered politics and became the mayor of the small Colorado town where he lived. In 1984 he ran for Congress. Although he did not win the election, he remarked “the victory was in the trying”.

W. Mitchell exhibited two important qualities that leaders need to have when reacting to setbacks: Perseverance and a Positive Mindset. Lucy Maud Montgomery’s famous book “Anne of Green Gables” was rejected by several publishers. Had she not persevered, who knows what would have happened? In May 1954, Roger Bannister ran a one-mile race in under four minutes – a feat that had been considered impossible. Had he not had the right mindset, who knows what might have happened? Henry Ford was once quoted as saying “if you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right!”. So, what can be learned from all of the stories?

Leaders who achieve great things for their organizations, and their communities must have positive mindsets and perseverance. Organizations should be much more intentional about including these character traits in their talent management activities – particularly recruitment and leadership development. It is helpful to have tools and strategies to assess these traits and to integrate them into training and culture-building initiatives. The MERIT Profile Assessment™ can assist in the process of measuring the character competencies of positive mindset and perseverance. It also can be integrated into leadership training that emphasizes a philosophy of building a Personal Leadership Effectiveness Culture that reinforces many character traits that are part of building a strong CQ (Character Quotient). This will ultimately lead to a more character-based culture and stronger organizational performance.

As always, I welcome your feedback. You can connect with me via email or telephone or leave a comment right here on the site.

Until next time,

Dave

David Town, CHRL, is a facilitator and coach of leadership and management principles that enable individuals and organizations to build greater leadership competency, resulting in higher performance and higher employee engagement. David has a particular focus on effectively managing conversations involving confrontation or conflict. As well, he provides insights and assessment strategies for integrating character competencies into leadership skills resulting in increased trust and reduced risk for leaders. David is President of Your Leadership Matters Inc.