If only we knew when disruption would knock. Would we brace ourselves better? Or simply worry longer? Either way, we don’t get to choose its timing. What we do choose is how we respond: collapse under its weight or evolve through its challenge.
In times of upheaval, our instinct is to resist. We cling to the familiar, hoping to preserve control. But resistance born of fear often leads to stagnation. The alternative isn’t passivity…it’s anti-fragility. It’s the radical act of surrendering to change, not as defeat, but as a gateway to renewal.
A crucial distinction between surrender and succumb: To surrender is to meet reality with open eyes and an open heart. It’s a conscious, courageous choice to engage with what is, rather than fight what cannot be changed. Surrender is active. It’s the posture of a leader who knows transformation begins with acceptance.
Byron Katie’s four questions from The Work offer a powerful framework for this kind of surrender:
- Is it true? Pause and ask – what is the truth beneath the thought?
- Can you absolutely know it’s true? Challenge your assumptions. Let curiosity lead.
- How do you react when you believe that thought? Notice the ripple effects, emotionally, relationally, internally.
- Who would you be without the thought? Imagine the freedom of letting go. Which version of life feels kinder?
To succumb, by contrast, is to collapse inward. It is resignation disguised as apathy. Succumbing is passive… its what happens when discomfort masquerades as danger, and we choose numbness overgrowth.
Anti-fragility isn’t just resilience… it’s the ability to grow stronger through volatility. Leaders who embrace it don’t merely survive disruption; they’re transformed by it. They surrender to the moment not out of weakness, but from wisdom. They know resistance to reality is futile…and that renewal begins where resistance ends.
This kind of surrender isn’t about giving up. It’s about giving in..to the flow of change, the wisdom of uncertainty, and the possibility that what’s next might be better than what was.
My final thoughts… Disruption invites choice. The question isn’t if we’ll be changed. But how. Will we collapse, or evolve? Succumb to helplessness, or surrender to transformation?
The difference lies in our posture. And in that posture, our future is shaped.
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