This week, to celebrate the 150th issue of LEAD ON!, and the fact that my new book, The Mentally Strong Leader, launches in just one week (May 7th), I’ll combine the usual INSIGHTS, IMPERFECTIONS, and IMPLEMENTATION sections into one piece. I’m focusing on an idea I share in the new book – the need to find the Agreeable Adversity in the face of setbacks. That is, finding something positive in adversity, especially being intentional about discerning what you’ve learned that can contribute to future success.
As an example exclusive to LEAD ON! readers (I don’t even share this story in the new book), consider the story of the discovery of Hawaii – it’s a monument to fortitude.
If you looked at a globe to pinpoint the most isolated place on the planet, you’d find Hawaii, standing by itself with nothing in sight (like me at my 8th grade dance). How on earth was it discovered, being situated thousands of miles from any other land? Research shows ancient Polynesians pulled off this miraculous feat of exploration somewhere around 1100AD, long before the GPS and ocean vessels existed. But how?
It was the Golden Plover that first tipped them off. The Polynesians, who inhabited the Marquesas Islands in the South Pacific, noticed that the bird, a land bird, annually left the islands and headed north over the ocean. Hmmm. They decided to follow (cue chase music), certain that the bird would lead them to new lands. But the bird was too fast, and each year the Polynesians could only keep up for so long. So they’d have to head back each time and devise experimental ways they could try to keep up longer the following year. Out into the massive, frightening ocean they’d head year after year in their carved wooden sailing boats, with only the stars serving as a guide and map of their progress.
Of course, the Polynesians didn’t know this, but Hawaii lay in the middle of what’s now called the Polynesian Triangle (New Zealand, Easter Island, and Hawaii), which encases over 10 million square miles of ocean. For perspective, armed with today’s knowledge, a direct course, and a modern sailing boat, it takes 30 days to travel the 2500 miles to reach Hawaii from the Marquesas Islands.
This was a gnat in a haystack, not a needle.
And each year they didn’t find the land mass they were looking for represented yet another setback. The fortitude required for such a mission had to be astounding, particularly since estimates indicate it took them 400 years to find Hawaii using their methods.
Over time, studies indicate they noticed how the wave patterns changed near land mass, and could tell from changes in swells if the boat was still heading in the direction they intended. They picked up on debris floating in the water, especially vegetation, calculating how far from land the debris must be based on known speeds at which it could travel in water and its level of deterioration. They noticed that the hue of clouds over land took on a different color based on reflections caught from the terrain.
In the end, it was the Polynesian’s ability to find the Agreeable Adversity, to take note (and pass down) what they learned along the way, cumulatively, that ultimately led them to success.
When our mental strength dwindles, especially in times of adversity, we can feel like we’re adrift and alone in a massive ocean. It can be easy to let the learning, all-around, just float by. If this is where you, or your team, tends to navigate in times of adversity, it’s time to change course. Know that you’re not alone. For every story of Polynesian-like triumph there are a thousand stories of those who came close to discovering something wonderful (perhaps not knowing just how close) before they turned back.
So, give The Mentally Strong Leader some consideration, and keep rowing.
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