#8 Half-full or half-empty?

I reflect on the well-worn metaphor of the glass half-full versus half-empty. While optimists may see it as half full and pessimists as half empty, a truly resilient person sees the glass for what it is—a glass with water at the midway point, devoid of any positive or negative spin. The crucial question isn't the state of the glass but rather where you're heading and whether the water in the glass can aid you in your journey.

Admiral Jim Stockdale plane was shot down as he led a raid into North Vietnam and, from the moment he ejected, Stockdale told himself that he would be there for at least five years. He was held prisoner and tortured in Vietnam for over seven years, a testament to human resilience.

In a conversation with Jim Collins, Stockdale revealed a counterintuitive insight. When he was asked what sort of people didn’t make it out of the camp, Stockdale’s response was clear: “Oh, that’s easy. The optimists.” Stockdale also didn’t credit the pessimists with much better success than the optimists, saying that they gave in soon afterwards.

So, what kept him going? Stockdale described his approach, explaining: “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

This formulation became known as the Stockdale Paradox, which is very much at the core of resilient principles - accepting reality, even when it's tough but at the same time believing that life has meaning, even when it's hard to see. It beautifully illustrates the balance between the acceptance of harsh realities and the unwavering belief in eventual success, a balance essential to resilience.

Who are you? Optimist, pessimist, realist, or does it depend? Consider how you have responded to past challenges and what that reveals about your approach to resilience. The principles of resilience, as demonstrated by Stockdale and embodied in the Stockdale Paradox, are not just theoretical concepts but practical tools that can be applied in various contexts, be it in business, personal life, or leadership.

Picture: DALL·E

Sources:

Harvard Business Review, Goleman D., Sonnenfeld J.A., Achor S. -Resilience (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series), Harvard Business Review Press, Boston, 2017.

Collins J. - Good To Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't. Random House Business, 37. Edition, 2001.