The Stockdale Paradox: Prevailing in Crisis
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Admiral James Stockdale, Source: WarHistoryOnline.com
“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.” ~ Admiral James Stockdale
Nearly 55 years ago on an exceedingly pretty day, Admiral (Commander at the time) Jim Stockdale jumped in his A4 Skyhawk. He was excited but confident, having flown nearly 200 missions thus far in the Vietnam War. He was highly decorated having earned numerous awards and medals.
Another day, another battle.
The plane lurched from the deck of the aircraft carrier The USS Oriskany and the mission was under way. The squad was headed back, yet again, to take on the enemy in the jungles of North Vietnam. As the fighter pilots got close to their assignment, Admiral Stockdale came in low at the top of the trees, hoping to avoid anti-aircraft fire. But luck wasn't headed his way today: there was a "flack trap" in the very top of one of the trees. The enemy fired and within seconds the A4 was on fire. Stockdale had to make the decision to bail out in about two seconds.
His parachute deployed, but the enemy started shooting at him from the ground. Stockdale later reported that a "thundering herd of men" ran towards him. The moment he landed, the crowd beat him to within an inch of his life.
Those terrifying few moments started an unimaginable time in enemy territory as a prisoner of war. Stockdale was held in the infamous Hoa Lo Prison - the "Hanoi Hilton" for the next 90 months, or 7.5 years. Stockdale was tortured routinely and the enemy denied him medical attention for a severely damaged leg that was injured during his capture.
The Admiral was the highest ranking Navy officer to be held captive during the Vietnam War. Very quickly, he developed and enforced a code of conduct for all U.S. prisoners in the complex which governed their behavior and secret communications.
The Commander was in command.
The Stockdale Paradox
Many men in the Hanoi Hilton, desperate and sad, died in captivity. How in the world did Jim Stockdale make it out alive 90 months later?
In the early 2000's, bestselling author Jim Collins interviewed the Admiral and shared his notes in Good to Great and also a recent YouTube video: https://youtu.be/GvWWO7F9kQY
Collins notes about Stockdale's captivity: “It just seemed so bleak—the uncertainty of his fate, the brutality of his captors, and so forth…how on earth did he deal with it…?”
When Collins asked that very question directly to Stockdale, he replied, “I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade.”
Collins followed with another question: “Who didn’t make it out?”
“The optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart….”
This is a very important lesson in the time of COVID-19 and here is the Stockdale Paradox - on the one hand, you need unwavering faith that you can and will prevail. At the same time, you need the discipline to deal with the facts as they actually are.
Suck it up Buttercup
I was talking with my friend Tommy Newberry about the subject of perseverance in crisis. What can you and I do given that we are in our own version of COVID prison? We, just like Stockdale, don't know how this will end. We will get out, but we don't know when.
Here are seven things Tommy and I discussed that we CAN do to help us make it through this mess:
1) Fortify your Foundation - make sure you eat clean, get good sleep and exercise. Self-care in a crisis is critical.
2) Strengthen your strengths. Focus on what you are good at and try to get even better. If you are a writer, runner or singer...do more of it!
3) Optimize what you say to yourself. You are your own worst critic, and you know that. Flip that on its head and give yourself permission to praise.
4) Hang out with encouragers and supporters. You are who you surround yourself with. Select high character, motivated folks to spend time with.
5) Don't worship at the god of other people's opinion. As Tommy says, "What you think of me is none of my business."
6) Become more valuable. Become faster, stronger and more focused. Find three areas of your life that could use intense focus.
7) Finish what you start. Become a completer, which a huge part of building self-confidence.
Listen, we are in a tough spot. But if the Admiral could stare at us with his intense gaze, he would call us to attention and tell us - you WILL make it through. But I need you to get real about your situation. Both sentiments together will get you out alive and well.
Be smart, be practical and continue to work hard and we’ll get out of this together. An Admiral told me so.
