Resiliency in the face of personal and organizational adversity
By Gregory L. Neal, FACHE
Try as we might, adversity is something we are unable to avoid. It can be any variety of difficulty, often unexpected, that comes into our lives––a cancer diagnosis, a harsh public criticism, a mistake or accident with an unwelcome outcome, an economic downturn or even a pandemic or natural disaster.
It seems that just when we think we’re living the dream life; a great marriage, beautiful children, and a comfortable home, that our world can be rocked in the most unexpected way. Our world was shaken when a cancer diagnosis appeared without warning into our family. We grew so much during the difficult journey through the treatment. (Thankfully, we are now cancer-free.) Cancer wasn’t the last adversity we would experience, either. 2020 brought unique challenges to us all, and for me, “unprecedented” took on even greater meaning with an experience that has presented opportunities to learn and grow personally, professionally and spiritually.
What is the antidote to adversity?
Our response to adversity is proportional to how prepared we are to act when faced with difficult challenges, our ability to walk with grace through the fires that test us, and the resilience we need to bounce back.