By Phil Kornachuk

After 5 hours of heavy fighting in a small village in Afghanistan in April 2010, the sun was finally starting to come up.

The small team I commanded was composed of Afghan Commandos, Marine Special Operators and Green Berets. Previously that night, we stumbled upon the Taliban’s district headquarters and ended up in a hellacious firefight inside a sprawling compound and the streets and hills surrounding us. We had taken multiple casualties, and as the sun came up, enemy reinforcements were streaming into the valley, trying to cut us off from our exit route.

Enemy fighters hidden in tunnels and outbuildings made clearing the sprawling compound a tedious and costly job. Exhausted, frightened and getting low on ammunition, my dog handler AJ looked at me and said, “They’re all around us. How are we going to get back to the base?!”. Not two minutes later, a young Marine Special Operator came up to me, covered in dust and soot, grinning. “It’s about time,” he said. “They’re all around us and keep coming; we can finally put the boots to them!”

Two people, same problem, different perspectives and wildly different ideas about how to deal with it.

As leaders, when our teams face obstacles, our attitude often determines our success or failure. If we characterize difficulties as threats, we tend to make our teams more defensive and risk-averse — usually not a helpful outcome.  If we instead see problems as opportunities to evolve and grow, we channel optimism, creativity and perseverance.

Agile businesses read the environment and adapt in the face of adversity, not only surviving but thriving. You can find examples outside the business world, too. Take a look at the resilience and selflessness shown by health care workers and educators during the past year. In the face of intense and sustained physical, mental and social pressure, they have found new ways to care for patients and connect with students. Based on what I see on REI’s shelves and the many trailheads around me here in Bozeman, countless families have channeled quarantine frustration into outdoor adventure.

The greatest growth I experienced as a leader, team and person was almost always linked to the hardest fights and darkest times. Life is hard, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Acknowledge reality, identify opportunity, take action and be prepared to grow.

Phil Kornachuk is Managing Director, Leadership Development at Allegro Group. He delivers high-impact workshops, retreats and leadership consulting, including overseeing Allegro Group’s LEAD 406 immersive leadership experiences. Phil retired from the U.S. Army as a Lieutenant Colonel, following a 22-year career in which he led, developed and served in some of the world’s most elite special operations units.