Resilience and Leadership: Lessons from a Crisis

Sometimes it is necessary to open the trunk of memories to understand what we are made of. Re-reading my reflections from the end of 2020, I realize that the challenges of that moment—uncertainty, the fear of making mistakes, and the need for reinvention—are the roots of the confidence I project today. I share with you this text written during a time of great transformation, as its lessons on investing in oneself and trusting the process of resilience and leadership remain more alive than ever.

Resilience and leadership: A look back at my reality in 2020

This year-end feels like something out of a science fiction movie. It could have felt eternal, like when we were children and the hours of the days seemed endless. We started locked down, without going out, without a social life, and not knowing when it would end. When they said in March that everything would be over by May, it felt like an eternity. Yesterday, my 19-year-old son Max, teasing his sister, said:

Don't you realize it's been almost a year since you last went to school?

We have learned to live with certain distances, slowing down the rush of daily life, taking things with more philosophy than before. Although there is still much to learn, life changed radically for us, and we are learning to make peace with this way of being.

Reflecting on this year, I compared my 2019 with 2020. In the year prior to this one, I made several bad business decisions. I somewhat abandoned my established services—which already had strength and positioning—to focus on entrepreneurship. I wanted to be a businesswoman, and I didn't prepare enough. When I looked at my income balance, there were three months in 2019 where I generated absolutely zero pesos because I was occupied with my startup. During those months, I only invested—or ironically, spent—because I lost everything in that project. When I finally realized I was wrong, I resumed my activities and was able to recover, let’s say humbly, with dignity.

This year, almost a month away from closing 2020, I can proudly share that my balance is higher than in 2019. When projects that were almost closed started being canceled in March, and I began to hear that the first thing many would cut was the budget for team development, everything indicated it would be a worse year than the last—which wasn't the best.

You might be wondering what I did, and I’m going to tell you, because I would love for more people to successfully emerge from these bumps and challenging situations where we think we see no end.

Obviously, there were gray, turbulent days—days when I admit I wanted Superman to rescue me from Earth and place me in a terrestrial paradise where I didn't have to think anymore. The thing is, that only exists on Netflix or in hero novels. So, I focused on how I could rescue what I could in this time of crisis where it is said that opportunities always arise.

I agree with this statement 100%, but it won't work if you take it as a dogma of faith and believe you just have to wait for that opportunity to appear. Especially when you aren't convinced that there are opportunities in times of crisis. Because, let's face it, the first things that cross our sweet minds are:

1. It’s easier said than done.

2. Even if I have the desire and energy, if the environment doesn't improve, how will my business improve?

3. I usually make mistakes when making decisions like this, so I’d better not do anything different to avoid messing up again.

4. Investing in myself or my business at this time is a bad decision.

5. It makes me angry to see others doing well while my business or industry is damaged.

6. I don’t see the results I should be having.

I could go on and on with these thoughts that cross our minds when we are in crisis mode, survival mode, or feeling negative and desperate. Believe me, I’ve been there! However, I wanted to discover how I could move forward with an open mindset for learning and an open mindset for giving and receiving.

So, I focused only on my present. I tried to stop thinking about the future goal, the ideal situation, or what I should have but didn't. I began to observe what I had in the moment, what I could learn from each attempt, and above all, I worked for it—and much more. When no one wanted to spend money, I invested in myself. Yes, I paid more than I ever had for my inner work, to learn from experts how to polish the details of my services; I paid to learn how to do it differently.

On that path, I discovered it was the best money I ever spent for several reasons. Because I found several "loose threads," like on a sweater; when you don't mend it, it unknits, and then fixing the hole is much more complicated. So, I observed that I could be creative; no matter how small or strange the idea, I had to try it. I tried several things, like my first Mastermind. And the enigma arose: How do I charge for it? Who do I invite? How do I sustain it over time? Among several attempts, I formed two incredible groups that continue; two others halfway worked, but I learned.

I discovered that when I launched a group forum, I had no idea or clarity, and it didn't work. When my coach asked me how it went and I answered, "I did it terribly!"—laughing my head off—I truly felt great. It didn't hurt, and I didn't feel like a failure; I just thought, "Okay, that wasn't the way. What should I learn for the next one? Because it will surely work if I learn from what I did wrong."

What I learned most is to observe myself, to live in the today, to stop stressing about the future, and to trust the process. I learned to have patience—that the timing is correct and there is no rush to get there. In my opinion, this is a key reason why some say they aren't doing well while others are having a different experience. I don't fail to recognize the crisis around us, but I trusted that things would fall into place. I shared more than in other years—in posts, in comments, in time. I connected with more people than ever. Before I knew it, people I hadn't reached out to in years were there. We always find a justification. Thus, I discovered that within those people, there were opportunities I was letting pass by. You don't have to reinvent the wheel; sometimes the solutions are right in front of you, in the most basic things, instead of looking for the most sophisticated or complex ones.

Above all, I learned to trust: in myself, in my mistakes, and in the faith and hope that we can build the path we want to travel. Definitely with bumps—many that I don't like feeling when I fall—but they all bring various lessons. Of course, that comes with a price; it's not free. You have to invest time, money, effort, change paradigms, and accept rejections. But nothing is personal; everything is how you decide to see it.

I learned to transmit to others the joy and passion for what I do, feeling the satisfaction of finding a purpose. When someone says "no" to you, it's because they aren't ready, but eventually, they will return or bring you a lesson to grow.

The reality of this year closing is that I am the owner of my decisions to create new paths, with new results and new panoramas. Nothing is easy; if it were easy, we wouldn't have reinventions. What hurts and looks difficult is what is worth seeking, because it is the momentum to scale to a new level. When I calmed down—incredible as it sounds—I even started losing the kilos I attributed to a sedentary lifestyle and the pandemic. When I trusted myself and what I am capable of, I visualized a better path to walk.

If you are reading these lines, it sounds easy, but it’s not. I'm talking to you about 266 days of free falls, spectacular climbs, flat days with no progress, sad news, and bad scenarios.

So I share this reflection with you because I don't just believe it—I can show you how it can be achieved with this mindset of learning, abundance, and connection that makes things work. I made a podcast, reformulated my services, invested in three types of coaches, read 10 business books, and connected with 200% more people than in 2019. I ask you:

When you say you no longer know anyone to sell to, negotiate with, or create with... are you sure?