I’ve found that Stoic wisdom often echoes biblical truth; in this case, adversity can produce perseverance, character, and hope. A difficult fundraising climate can force you to build a stronger company and tell a more compelling story; a product failure can lead to innovation that might otherwise have gone undiscovered; a health crisis or personal loss can remind you of what matters most. None of that makes the pain easy or good. But hardship has a way of driving us to our knees and back to dependence on God. Great leaders do not figure out how to avoid adversity. They learn to embrace it, grow through it, and allow what stands in the way to become the way forward.