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Turn Adversity Into Your Advantage

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If you’d like to learn how to turn adversity into your advantage so you can come out on top in life, sign up for the free 90-Day Master Class hosted by the founder of Addicted2Success.com, Joel Brown.


It’s becoming more and more understood that adversity is the foundation of your success. Let’s take that one step further, adversity can be the platform to propel you to your success if you learn how to use it.

If you stay there, if you don’t learn from adversity, and use your struggle as a “stick to beat yourself up with,” you will always have a reason to not change, grow or simply do things differently. That’s the key, your ability to do things differently starts with your ability to think differently and here are the steps you can use to make the most of the adversity.

1. Recognize the lessons

This might make you think, “surely there aren’t any lessons in this.” When you’re struggling, the hardest thing ever is to think positive and you’ll tend to make life very difficult for yourself. By focusing on the lessons first, you acknowledge the fact that things aren’t going great now, but there may be some lessons here that you can learn from.

By doing this, you don’t try to completely flip your way of thinking, you simply meet yourself where you are in the moment, then change your perspective. Whether it gives you the opportunity to be patient or prove to yourself how strong and resilient you can be; looking for the lessons is the initial push to get the ball rolling.

2. Recognize the good

Feeling the momentum shift and helping yourself see more good in the situation you’re in encourages your mind to give you the “feeling good, acting good, loop.” This is how you begin to gradually make progress towards your goals and take your lessons you’ve learned to improve on your past.

You’ll start to let go of the struggle and realise that most of the pain was because of how you saw it. It likely won’t be dramatic, but it’s about shifting your way of thinking that causes you to improve because of the situation you’re facing. Rather than stay stuck because of it.

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson 

3. Be grateful

Positive feelings don’t typically last long; spending some time with them, long enough for them to sink in, will help cement in the progress you’ve made. It’s all too easy to brush over this but feeling grateful is something that would come easier to you after the previous steps. It’s easier to think positive about things if you’re already in a “good place” mentally.

The actions that you take when you’re tired, anxious, and/or stressed are very different to when you’re happy, excited or grateful. One you’ve shifted away feeling like a victim of your circumstances, you can start to see different paths you can take.

4. Change direction

“What direction do I go down?” is very common for you if you’re in this position. Very often it’s getting clear on this that stops most from ever really changing. It’s not the desire to change, it’s not the will to change, it’s being able to answer the direction question.

If you’re wanting ideas for what you can do, listening to how others do things is fine as long as you understand that what makes you happy will be slightly different. If you start to stray from your own path, you might find yourself feeling disconnected and possibly even “lost.” You will need to make some difficult decisions, possibly even make some people unhappy, to be able to go back to living your own life.

“Make your vision so clear that your fears become irrelevant.”

5. Take the simple steps and build on it

You’re likely feeling more ready than ever to attack this new direction full steam ahead; but, you start to worry, wondering if you’ll make this work. That’s completely natural because it’s unknown, uncertain and not knowing can cause you to be on the edge of action. 

Wanting to know all the steps, being in the research and planning stages can overwhelm you and make it far more complicated than it could be. As you can probably tell, this is more of a mental game than simply taking action. You can be caught making things complicated, adding things in that you don’t need to confuse you, and make you feel like it’s an impossible task.

These are things you do to make sense of what’s going on, but they do slow you down. The way to think about this is doing “what you can, with what you have” given how clear you are right now. Very often, it’s taking action that helps you get clearer on the next steps, throwing bits of new information in as needed.

It’s about progress, moving forwards, and the biggest waves are started with the smallest ripples. But as long as you stay in the adversity or let it keep you stuck and struggling, that is where you’ll stay. You’ll make much faster progress than you think once you get moving with these steps.

How have you used adversity to your advantage in the past? Share your stories with us below!

Michael Brian is an entrepreneur, speaker & podcaster with cystic fibrosis and diabetes; that hasn't let that stop him from following his dreams! Doing the work on himself enabled him to overcome his own fears and low self-worth to be more confident when showing up in his brand and business. Now, he helps other change makers and service-based entrepreneurs do the same.

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Success Advice

What Every New CEO Must Do in Their First 100 Days (or Risk Failure)

Your first 100 days as CEO could define your entire legacy, here’s how to make every move count

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The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025

Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

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Bridging the gap between employees and employers
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In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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