What if Adversity is a Set Up for Growth?

The Role of Adversity

What if Adversity is a gift that is waiting to be unwrapped?

Scientists created a man made biosphere in Arizona. This miniature ecosystem was owned by the University of Arizona. With the best way they knew how, they created a miniature version of the earth’s ecosystem. Things began to grow until they discovered a serious challenge. The trees grew fast and then fell over. The scientists discovered a key ingredient missing, the wind.They discovered the tree roots were not deep nor was the bark thick and strong.

Growing a business can be very rewarding and painful at times. Do you ever feel like walls seem to get taller to climb? As a leader, there are many variables, situations and adversitiesy
that seem to just raise their head out of nowhere.
 

High Winds

In the context of expanding your business or leadership role, let’s look at HIGH WINDS from a different perspective. What if we flip the script on adversity? From a growth mindset, we could now say, wow, the winds are blowing, our roots will go deeper and stronger! Our bark will get thicker to grow tall and stand out. Bark protects from pestilence.

What if instead of viewing the winds of adversity as negative, we saw them as opportunities for
expansion, growth and ways to set your business and leadership apart. How can add solutions
to adversity set you and your business apart?
 

5 Keys to Expand Your Business Through Adversity

1). From Frustration to Feedback:

Feedback is the breakfast of champions! We all experience frustrations. What if we change the meaning of frustration and utilize it as an opportunity to receive feedback? Feedback is like a
dashboard light going off. If we ignore it, it can lead to higher costs and lost time. A sailboat turns high winds into power.

● How can you grow your business by utilizing frustration as feedback?

2). From Delay to Delivery

We know we measure many things with a standard of time. What if your current situation is a set up for growth? Being a leader comes with many opportunities to trust our instruments to
navigate the fog. We know attitudes influence culture. How can you flip the script to grow your ecosystem when delays manifest?

● How can you utilize the delay to refine excellence for the delivery?

3). From Irritable to Investment

Pearls are born from irritation of grit inside a clam. What if the irritability is a time to invest, like! Like an arrow flashing towards the pearl in the making! A pearl necklace could be a display of a
marathoner who did not quit the race. Great solutions are found to solve a reoccurring adversity.

● What is really at the root of the irritation?

4). From Chaos to Curiosity

What if chaos is an opportunity to drill down and ask questions? Questions that foster growth and curiosity. Back in the day, the soldier would pick up the flag on the battlefield to say, in the
midst of chaos, let’s fill in the gap. The flag brought unity in chaos. Think of how your response is during chaos?

● How can you foster solutions in your culture and systems to create a thriving rhythm?

5). From Collision to Collaboration

Do you ever feel like you are banging heads on your team? Think of a rowing team’s collaboration. It influences their sleep and energy. There could be a collision of ideas, roles, positions and the list goes on. One key is to consider giving up your right to be right for the sake of the bigger picture.

● How can you shift the resistance into reimagining collaborative growth?
 

Final Thoughts

I remember being around seven years old and so excited to fly a kite with my grandfather. Building the kite with a twelve foot cloth tail was so exciting. He bought 1,200 feet of line and brought a large 2x4 stake outside. I began letting the kite go as the winds were vigorous that day, and saw the kite soar as the line went out over 1,000 feet. The adversity of the wind is what held the kite way up in the air. Then my grandfather said, tie the kite around this stake that he pounded in the ground. He said, let’s go for lunch. The whole time I was concerned about the kite. We came back, and the wind was still holding the kite way up in the sky. I was amazed!

Looking back now, I realize how the strong wind blowing allowed us to relax, and we did not have to do anything. What is your WIND to be captured to turn into your WIN?

You were born for the extraordinary! Keep creating despite the wind that may be blowing. You got what it takes!

In Gratitude,

Ed Garner