It’s easy to admire confident leaders when they’re at their best, making strong decisions, driving change, leading the way.

But what’s often more revealing is how leaders show up when things fall apart.

We recently worked with a leader who had hit a low point, she’d lost a major project, felt shaken by uncertainty, and was questioning her choices. But just a few weeks later, she was more grounded, more clear, and moving forward with purpose.

Here’s what resilient leaders tend to do when they’re coming out of a hard fall:

1. Let the Ground Shift, Then Recenter

The first thing this leader realized was that she’d lost her sense of ground. And yet, she was learning to stay calm in the discomfort. That’s what resilience looks like, not avoiding disruption, but learning how to stay present in it.

Ask yourself: What has changed beneath my feet, and what can I anchor to now?

This could be your values, your purpose, your team, or simply the next clear action.

2. Move Into Action, Not to Fix, but to Feel Complete

When we lose something important, there’s often a strong impulse to fight back, appeal, or reclaim what was lost. And sometimes that’s the right move.

But the key shift for this leader was not whether she’d win her appeal, it was that she’d feel complete knowing she tried.

Taking action gave her a sense of agency. Even if the outcome doesn’t change, the energy shifts. She’s not stuck. She’s in motion.

3. Trust What You've Learned

Real transformation doesn’t just come from surviving a crisis, it comes from understanding yourself through it.

This leader began to recognize her own growth: she could tolerate uncertainty better, stay steady through fear, and even acknowledge the parts of herself that were waking up with new energy and clarity.

Sometimes the most powerful thing a leader can say is: “This was hard, but I learned from it. And now I move forward.”