June 10, 2025
by Stephen T. Messenger
I remember being a young, little league baseball shortstop hoping the ball wouldn’t get hit to me. I lacked confidence in throwing over to first and was afraid of messing up the game for my team. I didn’t have the experience or the mindset to welcome the challenge.
This type of thinking is exactly the opposite of elite athlete mindsets. They always want the ball. Legendary New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said, “You want to be in a situation where the game is on the line. That’s what you prepare for. That’s why you play the game.”
Our thinking needs to be more aligned with wanting to face the challenge at hand rather than avoiding pressure situations. We need leaders who are excited to tackle the hardest problems we face with grit, determination, and optimism.
True Leadership Welcomes Obstacles
I had a boss that used to say the easy problems had been solved before they got to us. We’re here to tackle the hardest ones and welcome them when they come.
What separates the best leaders from all the others is not the absence of problems but the desire to tackle them. Looking back at our presidents, the ones we celebrate on Mount Rushmore faced the most pivotal challenges of the nation. George Washington led the revolution, Thomas Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence, Abraham Lincoln reconnected the North and South, and Theodore Roosevelt was president during rapid industrial change connecting America to the world.
Other presidents are not as well-known and fade into the background. James Monroe was president during the era of good feelings, and Calvin Coolidge was referred to as “Silent Cal” during the roaring 20s. Monroe and Coolidge presided over stable times which is good, but it was the crucible of crisis that allowed Washington, Lincoln, and others to demonstrate uncommon leadership.
Major challenges are what bring out the best in leaders, and while we don’t want to manufacture crises, we don’t want to run away from them either. Instead, when there’s an uncomfortable situation in front of us, we should run towards the sound of the guns. Three stoic characteristics can help us tackle problems with a better mindset.
Grit. This quality is about perseverance during trials and focusing on long term objectives.
Epictetus was born a slave in the Roman empire. He lived in extreme poverty under his master, Epaphroditus, who abused and tortured him. But Epictetus was mentally free, and that was what differentiated him from others facing challenges.
After being released, he used his experience of slavery and abuse to teach others how to live rationally, even in the worst conditions. To use his words, “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
Grit is about passion and persistence in the face of obstacles. This quality recognizes that sustained effort achieves results even during setbacks. We must always be leaning forward into problems instead of running from them.
Determination. This characteristic is about a steadfast commitment to do what is right, no matter the cost.
Marcus Aurelius ruled during one of the most challenging and chaotic times of Roman history. He faced a deadly pandemic, continuous wars, internal betrayals, and personal loss of multiple children. Yet he was determined to govern justly and beyond reproach.
His journal of private thoughts, while not meant to be published, became the book Meditations, demonstrating how he strengthened himself daily, even when surrounded by plague, instability, and chaos. From his pen, “You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
Determination is about wanting something so badly that nothing will stop us from accomplishing it. It’s knowing our goals and ruthlessly pursuing them at all costs.
Optimism. Finally, this quality is about having a mindset that no matter how bad it gets, we will see the positive results on the other side.
Musonius Rufus lived in the 1st century and was exiled by Roman emperors for teaching Stoicism. After being banished to the island of Gyaros, a desolate place lacking in food and water, he embraced the exile, saying it was a chance to live more simply. He used this to teach on the island and changed the isle of banishment into a productive classroom.
Even in the dark places, he found a way to be optimistic. Epictetus, his student, wrote: “Wherever you find yourself, build a life there. It is not circumstances, but our view of them, that makes them good or bad.”
In the same way, optimism is a key component that we must demonstrate in the face of problems. We need leaders who not only understand that not everything may go our way but also respond with the understanding that we have the collective skills to thrive in any situation.
Life Is a Series of Challenges
It’s easy to hope that the ball isn’t going to be hit to us, but leadership is about embracing the challenges and thriving in the worst situations.
President John F. Kennedy said, “We stand today on the edge of a new frontier… but the new frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises – it is a set of challenges. It sums up not what I intend to offer the American people, but what I intend to ask of them.”
The stoics knew that fate wasn’t always going to be kind, but that we can be resilient, determined, and positive in our response. It is not the situation that shapes our lives, but how we respond to them.
Every person needs a leader that wants the responsibility during crises and is confident to solve problems as they arise with grit, determination, and optimism. It’s up to us to be that leader.
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