Obstacles in business, as in life, have a way of disrupting progress.  Often times the disruptions are not only from the obstacles themselves, but in how we respond when we encounter an obstacle.  In The Obstacle Is The Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph, by Ryan Holiday, the author explores the multitude of responses we should have when faced with obstacles and every one of them produce positive results.  This is a must-have guide that every business leader should keep close by.

 
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The Obstacle Is The Way doesn't necessarily provide a step-by-step process on how to succeed every time when faced with an obstacle, but it does offer insightful information on how you can develop a different, and better mindset for overcoming your obstacles.  The book is 32 chapters that is divided into three main sections: Perception, Action, and Will.  Ryan believes that these are the three things we are all capable of controlling in our world. The chapters are quick, easy to digest sections that can, and should, be read over and over again—— especially when you are faced with a pressing obstacle such as a stubborn employee, a slow-paying customer, or a delayed delivery from a vendor.  There is so much great information to cover in the book that it is just easier to stick to Ryan’s three sectional points in this review.

Seeing and Understanding

In the first section on perception Ryan opens by telling the story of John D. Rockefeller and how all throughout his working life, Rockefeller’s perception continued to make him extraordinarily wealthy.  When the Panic of 1857 hit, Rockefeller, like everyone else, should have been scared.  But as Ryan states, instead of bemoaning the upheaval, Rockefeller eagerly observed the momentous events.  Almost perversely, he chose to look at it all as an opportunity to learn.  He quietly saved his money and watched what others did wrong. For Rockefeller, his perception of things kept him cool, calm, and ready.  We can do the same.  For the next eleven chapters in this section, Ryan gives us these snippets to chew on:

• That getting emotional or upset never provides you with more options to solve your problem.
• To look at your problems from the outside.
• To focus on the present.
• And when you're stressed, tell yourself, “I’m not going to die from this.”

Key Point: Strive to see events straightforwardly, as neither good or bad.  We should focus only on what you can control.

Action is Commonplace: Right Action is Not

This is my favorite section because it speaks to what most of us suffer from and that is taking some action, even if it is the wrong action.  Ryan gives the reader a question: “There’s an explosion, metaphoric or otherwise.  Are you the guy running toward it?  Or running away from it?  Or worse, are you paralyzed and do nothing?” Regarding action, Ryan tells the story of when Amelia Earhart wanted to be a great aviator, but being the 1920s, it was thought that women were too frail and weak to handle an aircraft.  She received a proposal that went like this:  “We have someone willing to fund the first female transatlantic flight.  Our first choice has already backed out.  You won’t get to actually fly the plane, and we’re going to send two men along as chaperones and guess what, we’ll pay them a lot of money and you won’t get anything.  Oh, and you very well might die while doing it.” Most people would have been offended, but Amelia said yes.  Less than five years later she was the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic and became one of the most respected people in the world.  This wouldn’t have happened had she waited for the right moment.  In this Action section, Ryan reveals in twelve chapters:

• To focus on the process, not the end result
• That persistence is key
• That “eureka!” moments don't appear out of thin air, they're solutions found after an exhausting amount of attempts
• To have realistic expectations
• That finishing is the most important thing

Key Point: Action isn't always about moving forward, but sometimes about choosing to make a stand.

The Discipline of the Will

Ryan opens this final section with a story about Abraham Lincoln.  Most people know about the trials Lincoln went through and the numerous elections that he lost, but most people don’t know that he suffered with deep depression, though it was not called that at the time.  This drove him twice to contemplate suicide.  However, Lincoln at the time was known for his great sense of humor though he struggled horribly with bouts of isolation, intense brooding, and pain. Lincoln transcended great difficulty and endured using his strength of will to not give in to hopelessness.  He lived with his depression while he developed a strong inner fortress that girded him.  We can learn to do the same. Ryan used the remaining nine chapters of the book to shed a light on the use of will stressing these points:

• To love what happens to you, good or bad
• To build a fortress in your mind called your Inner Citadel
• To do a pre-mortem on your ideas
• To develop acceptance and cheerfulness
• That constraints in life are actually a good thing

Key Point: Remember to think and use the phrase Lincoln was known to repeat on a regular basis, “This too shall pass,” no matter what it is. Pick up a copy of The Obstacle is the Way today and read the first ten chapters.  It shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes, but it will get you hooked on learning how you can begin seeing obstacles as passable, manageable, moveable, and doable.

Johnny Duncan, President of Duncan Consulting, Inc., is a business writer and consultant partnering with business leaders to provide workforce management solutions including leadership coaching, customer service training, people-to-job matches, copywriting, and conflict resolution.  He can be reached at johnny@duncanconsult.com or by calling 407-739-0718.