How well do you handle long-term adversity?

Our reader poll today asks: How well do you handle long-term adversity?

– Extremely well – I can thrive through years of adversity: 15%
– Very well – I can manage through prolonged adversity: 39%
– Well – I can succeed for a while, but I lose energy over time: 40%
– Not well – I succeed short term but not long term: 3%
– Poorly – I struggle dealing with long-term adversity: 2%

A tough bunch. Many of you say you do well with adversity even for prolonged periods of time. Just be aware of the risks of being “tough” and ignoring the warning signs of issues. Chronic stress can lead to fatigue, lower job performance, and large health issues. As a guy who’s had two heart attacks, I’m qualified to opine on the subject. When you find yourself in long-term stressful situations, learn how to build your resilience – which is one of the 12 traits of great leaders – through focused efforts on taking care of yourself. While you may get the job done, if you don’t survive to get your year-end bonus, it’s not really worth it.

Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

Did you enjoy this post?  If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog.  It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!).  SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

These results were originally a SmartPulse poll in SmartBrief on Leadership which tracks feedback from more than 210,000 business leaders. Get smarter on leadership and sign up for the SmartBrief on Leadership e-newsletter.