The Stockdale Principle is the idea that in order to make it, "you must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end,regardless of the difficulties,". And at the same time have the discipline to "confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be."
What is the Stockdale Paradox?
The Stockdale Paradox The Stockdale Paradox is a concept, along with its companion concept Confront the Brutal Facts, developed in the book Good to Great. Productive change begins when you confront the brutal facts.
What does Stockdale say about never losing faith?
Stockdale explained this idea as the following: “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”
What is Stockdale’s philosophy?
Stockdale himself was a follower of the ancient Greek Stoic philosophers, who were noted for their concern with understanding reality correctly and shaping one’s response to it optimally. The maxim of Epictetus, “What, then, is to be done?
How did Stockdale deal with adversity?
Stockdale approached adversity with a very different mindset: he accepted the reality of his situation. Stockdale knew he was in hell, but, rather than bury his head in the sand, he stepped up and did everything he could to lift the morale and prolong the lives of his fellow prisoners.
Who was the Stockdale paradox named after and how does the Stockdale Paradox apply to business?
The Stockdale Paradox is named after Admiral Jim Stockdale, who was a United States military officer held captive for eight years during the Vietnam War.
What does Collins mean when he says confront the brutal facts?
In his bestselling book Good to Great, Jim Collins uses the term “brutal facts” to describe the need for leaders to confront the realities of their organizations: “Leadership does not begin with just a vision. It begins with getting people to confront the brutal facts and act on the implications.”
How many years was Stockdale a POW?
Stockdale, who was the highest-ranking Navy officer POW in Vietnam, was held there for nearly eight years.
What are the brutal facts and how can we better live the Stockdale Paradox?
Every good-to-great company embraced what we came to call the "Stockdale Paradox": you must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, and at the same time, have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.
What is the level 5 leadership?
Level 5 leaders understand the importance of putting people first and strategy second. This means finding the right people for the organization, getting rid of the wrong ones, and putting employees in the appropriate positions, all before addressing business tactics.
Who was the longest POW?
Col. Floyd J. ThompsonCol. Floyd J. Thompson, who endured nearly nine years of torture, disease and starvation in Vietnam as the longest-held prisoner of war in American history, has died. He was 69.
What rank was Stockdale when captured?
Stockdale was the most senior naval officer held captive in Hanoi, North Vietnam. He had led aerial attacks from the carrier USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) during the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident....James Stockdale.James B. StockdaleRankVice admiralCommands heldVF-51 Carrier Air Wing 16Battles/warsVietnam War12 more rows
What rank was Stockdale when he was shot down?
On his next deployment, while Commander of Carrier Air Wing 16 aboard the carrier USS Oriskany (CV-34), he was shot down over enemy territory on September 9, 1965. Stockdale was the highest-ranking naval officer held as a prisoner of war in Vietnam....James StockdaleRankVice AdmiralBattles/warsVietnam War13 more rows
Why is the Stockdale paradox important?
The Stockdale Paradox can help out an organization assess a current situation and plan accordingly to tackle the challenges they come across. It enforces both the idea that you can be positive and believe you will overcome all difficulties while at the same time you are confronting the most brutal facts of your current situation. The latter is what turns people off, because it can be misconstrued as negative or overly pessimistic.
What is the Stockdale paradox?
The Stockdale Paradox is one such concept that, at first glance, takes some linguistic mental jumping jacks to fully grasp. This paradox was first put forward in Jim Collin’s book Good to Great, a seminal corporate self-help and leadership book.
What is the key to success in a dire situation?
Balancing realism and optimism in a dire situation is a key to success.
What is the main gist of the idea?
The main gist of the idea is that you need to balance realism with optimism.
Where did Stockdale go after years in captivity?
After years in captivity, Stockdale eventually home.
Who said you must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end?
Stockdale explained this idea as the following: “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”
What is the Stockdale Paradox?
Stockdale was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for seven-and-a-half years. Before meeting with the legendary soldier and statesman, Collins read Stockdale’s memoir and found its grim details hard to bear, despite his knowledge that Stockdale’s later life was happy. Collins wondered, “If it feels depressing for me, how on earth did he survive when he was actually there and did not know the end of the story ?” (Emphasis in the original.)
How does the Stockdale paradox help people survive?
This is the balance that the Stockdale Paradox facilitates: the realism to let go of intrinsic survival mechanisms and the deep-seated faith to learn the new ones.
What does the Stockdale paradox tell us about crisis leadership?
The Stockdale Paradox and survival psychology contain wisdom for how leaders can manage the coronavirus crisis, according to Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams. [This is the fourth installment in a monthly series on management issues in the time of COVID-19.]
What is the meaning of success in a long-term survival situation?
There is no point at which this becomes easy. Both Leach and Stockdale note that success in a long-term survival situation means getting up and fighting each day. Stockdale wrote in A Vietnam Experience: Ten Years of Reflection that it was “the persistent practitioner of endurance who carried the day for courage. The game of physical intimidation was not won or lost in one grand showdown. The hero of us all was the plucky little guy who made them start all over every day.” Leach cited a shipwreck survivor who wrote, during the fifteenth day on his life raft, “My mood follows the sun. The light of each day makes me optimistic that I might last another forty. But the darkness of each night makes me realise that, if any one thing goes wrong, I will not survive.”
When debating a course of action, have team members list all the “hard, cold” reasons for?
For example, when debating a course of action, have team members list all the “hard, cold” reasons for a decision and then all the “warm, fuzzy” reasons, or the most pessimistic/most optimistic scenarios, or the like. Incorporate both-sides thinking in order to surface tacit knowledge and insights.
Is repression part of Stoicism?
And while Stoicism may colloquially refer to repressing emotion, such repression was never part of original Stoic doctrine. And neither emotionlessness nor constant positivity are a hallmark of emotional adjustment during crisis. “In general, resilient people have intensely negative reactions to trauma,” writes Emily Esfahani Smith. “They experience despair and stress, and acknowledge the horror of what’s happening. But even in the darkest of places, they see glimmers of light, and this ultimately sustains them.”
What is the Stockdale paradox?
The Stockdale Paradox. The Stockdale Paradox is a concept, along with its companion concept Confront the Brutal Facts, developed in the book Good to Great. Productive change begins when you confront the brutal facts. Every good-to-great company embraced what we came to call the "Stockdale Paradox": you must maintain unwavering faith ...
How many times was Stockdale tortured?
Tortured over twenty times during his eight-year imprisonment from 1965 to 1973, Stockdale lived out the war without any prisoner’s rights, no set release date, and no certainty as to whether he would even survive to see his family again. ….
What is the Stockdale paradox?
The Stockdale Paradox really defines the optimism that is most important in becoming a resilient person and that is, when you’re faced with a challenge or a trauma, you look at that challenge objectively. You might make the assessment, ‘I’m in really big trouble.’ You have a realistic assessment of what you’re facing. On the other hand, you have the attitude and the confidence to say, ‘But I will prevail. I’m in a tough spot, but I will prevail.’ That is the optimism that relates to resilience.
Was Stockdale in Alcatraz?
In captivity, Stockdale was given special treatment. But I don’t mean “special” in the positive sense. Stockdale was part of the so-called “Alcatraz” gang, U .S. prisoners who were held in solitary confinement. The lights in their small cells were kept on 24 hours a day and they were forced to sleep in shackles. This ordeal went on for 8 years.
