The document discusses 5 traits of leaders who overcome adversity: 1. They always keep clear goals in mind to guide their organization and motivate employees. 2. They are not afraid to seek assistance from others when needed and understand they cannot succeed alone. 3. They maintain a positive attitude no matter what challenges arise. 4. They remain cool, collected, and in control during difficult times and redirect resources as needed. 5. They are resilient and keep trying even when they fail, learning from mistakes and improving for the next attempt.

1. 5 Amazing Traits Of Winners
Who Overcome Adversity
By David Kiger Image courtesy of Luigi Mengato at Flickr.com

2. Starting and maintaining a business is without a doubt, a
daunting task. Whether we like it or not, adversity is a part of life,
and even a greater part of business regardless of how sharp,
clever, imaginative and optimistic we are leaders. The good part
of this is the fact that perspective can change the way we see
adversity and help us take advantage of all the opportunities it
can bring about. Business challenges build character and
resilience and serves to strengthen our will, confidence and
ability to overcome the next hurdle to come.
Great leaders are able to see the opportunities given by
adversity, and have a few traits in common that facilitate the way
they deal with challenges and ultimately come out on top. These
are some of the most important characteristics successful
leaders have in common and display when it comes to dealing
with adverse conditions.

3. Always keep clear goals in mind and present over the
horizon.
Clear goals are the fuel that moves us, and our organization
forward. Having clear specific goals sets well-defined standards
to our co-workers and employees alike and helps them guide
their heading in everyday operations. Recognizing the benefits of
accomplishing an objective severely outweighs any negative
situations we may encounter. It is known that organizational
goals inform all employees where the company is going and how
it plans to get there. If employees need to make difficult
decisions, they can always look for guidance by referring to
organization's goals. Clear goals are motivational and increase
performance, mainly due to their ability to fulfill a need within an
individual. In order to be successful, companies must that every
employee and manager understands without a doubt, the
present and future of the business.

4. Never hesitate to seek assistance from others when needed.
Seeking advice is just as important as sharing knowledge when
it comes to having an effective leadership style and an educated
decision making process. Intelligent business leaders
understand that they can’t win every battle alone and take notice
of the team that accompanies them and makes the most out of
all the knowledge and strengths they can offer. If times get
tough, winners understand their own limitations and regroup with
their team in order to analyze their strategy and make thoughtful
decisions about how to move forward. For some strange reason,
there’s a belief among some entrepreneurs that asking for help
is a sign of weakness. Many believe that to be successful as a
leader and entrepreneur, you have to act like you know it all and
fake confidence, and so they refuse to ever ask for help, even
when they truly need it most.

5. At all times maintain a positive attitude no matter what.
Excellent leaders see the future with much optimism and
hope for what’s to come. Being in business is very similar
to going on an amusement park ride; there will be plenty of
ups and downs and sharp turns and moments of panic and
heartache. There is very little we can do to change the
normal flow of things and the challenges that will arise;
what we can do, is control the way we face adversity and
how we meet this challenges and face them. Positive
energy is an infectious force that permeates to all aspects
of everyday operations as well as to those who surround
you, like staff, suppliers and even customers.

6. Great leaders maintain their bearings.
A true leader remains cool and collected on the face of
adversity and possible failure. A great leader sees this
situation as learning opportunities and a chance to start
over with all the acquired knowledge on tow. No matter how
overwhelmed, frustrated, angry or disappointed you feel,
you must always remain in charge of the situation and
quickly direct resources to where they are needed in order
to readjust strategy to get back on track.

7. Keep trying even when they seem to fail.
The road to success is not always so cut and dry. Here in David
Kiger’s Slideshare we have mentioned in earlier posts, the stories of
very successful business personalities that had to deal with an
incredible amount of failure that almost made them quit. However,
due to sheer resilience they kept going and eventually became
known and celebrated in their own field. The ability to overcome
failure and find another way is what separates leaders who make a
difference from those who are left to wonder what might have been.
An amazing leader considers the lessons learned and makes the
necessary improvements to try one more time. A leader worth
following does not fear failure because they know that even from
failure we can learn and get up stronger than before.