They were tortured the most and in solitary confinement for more than four years, yet they bounced back and stayed positive. Three of our senior leaders were POWs for more than seven years. When you are committed to these two goals, you will work through challenges with a positive attitude that will help you come out the other side-and with more experience and resilience. This was critical to know that others believed in them. Leaders need to help their people believe in themselves.ĭuring difficult and defeating moments as a POW, my fellow POWs believed in me and said I needed to believe in myself. I also frequently revisit the importance of encouraging and believing in others. Henry Ford is attributed with the great quote, “Whether you believe you can or can’t, you are probably right.” To be a healthy, successful person, you must believe in yourself. How did we do it? Typical optimism definitions include words like hopefulness, confidence in success, and a positive outcome, but let’s look at some of the keys from this experience – 1. It also helped us emerge mentally and emotionally healthy as we returned home to our wives and families*. The research by psychologists following our release found that optimism was the leading factor in our resilience and survival over those many years of suffering and sacrifice.
Optimism was a critical factor in helping us endure hardship and disappointment. So, I decided I could make it two more years, but it turned out to be three and a half years before the war ended and the POW release began.Įvery POW I knew believed that someday we were going home, and our laser focus was to do our duty to resist the enemy and stay committed to our teammates. But when that summer came, we were going through some tough times and not even close to release. I’d plan to be home by the summer of 1969. So, I decided I could make it another year. It was clear that the end of the war (and our release) was not any closer. When July came that year, my group moved to a newly opened camp at Son Tay instead. Six weeks later, as we began a new year, I concluded that the war would end in a few months, and I’d be out in time to attend the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. I was captured immediately and taken to the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” prison. One of my resilience stories occurred as a young fighter pilot when I was blown out of the sky over enemy territory in November 1967. Believe that there is a good outcome, and then do your part to reach it with a positive mindset.
Here’s the bottom line of being resilient-first, you must be optimistic. 4 Resilient Ways to Lead with an Optimistic Attitude
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