How to be a resilient, adaptable leader

Great leaders boast abundant “psychological flexibility.”

Siya Kolisi, the captain of the South African rugby team, embodies psychological flexibility — the ability to mindfully adapt to change while remaining focused on one’s goals and staying true to one’s values. When a sports journalist criticized Kolisi’s teammate for an error, the captain could have lost his cool or directed the blame elsewhere. Instead, Kolisi acknowledged the blunder and emphasized the importance of learning from mistakes. Such responses, characteristic of Kolisi’s leadership, build focus, trust, and rapport among the Springboks. Psychological flexibility takes time and patience to learn. But if you take an incremental approach, you can foster a “flexible, resilient, and effective leadership style.” Whether you lead a global corporation or a neighborhood initiative, you can benefit from adopting psychological flexibility.

Improve your psychological flexibility by embracing difficult emotions.

As a leader, you might feel tempted to stifle your emotions because you fear appearing weak, unstable, or incompetent. Instead, explore your painful emotions. Learn to live with them “without...