Monday Mindset: “The Stockdale Paradox”
Happy Monday!
Do you know about “The Stockdale Paradox”?
The name refers to Admiral Jim Stockdale, an American soldier who spent 8 years in a prisoner-of-war camp during the Vietnam War. He was tortured over 20 times and was never given any hint of a release date in the near decade he spent in near isolation.
Despite all this, Stockdale managed to survive and thrive as will you!!!!
Here’s how he dealt with this, as described to Jim Collins in the book Good to Great:
“I never lost faith in the end of the story,” Stockdale said. “I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which in retrospect, I would not trade.”
“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.”
The Stockdale Paradox is certainly fitting for our times as I have studied it a few times before.
And was reminded of it this past weekend when I listened to this episode of Craig Groeschel’s leadership podcast; episode “Leading Through Crisis”.
I shared this with all the teams I lead yesterday and would highly encourage you to invest the 30 minutes in yourself to have a listen! As we are ALL LEADERS and need to lead ourselves, family, coworkers and communities!
Click HERE!!
Head up, we are in this and STRONGER together!
#FBBCSTRONG
-Coach Bryce
