Confront the Brutal Facts (Stockdale Paradox)

Video Transcript

This marvelous ability to combine faith and facts—unwavering faith in the end game, confront the brutal facts that are right in front of you—this is the Stockdale Paradox. Every one of our great leaders was incredibly comfortable with picking up the rock and looking at the ugly stuff underneath and saying, “What are those facts?” Because if we don't confront the brutal facts, they will confront us. The greatest mistake in public leadership, as Winston Churchill put it, is to hold out false hopes that will soon be dashed by events.