How Much Sisu do you Have?
Watching the Covid numbers rise once again across the country, and talking to many people who feel they’re on an emotional rollercoaster during this pandemic, a word I recently learned comes to mind. That word is sisu (pronounced see’-soo). According to finlandia.edu, “Sisu is a Finnish term that can be roughly translated into English as strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity.” Sisu is the quality that lets the Finnish people pick themselves up, learn something from previous failures, and overcome adversity.
Reflecting back 15 years ago to when I was consulting in Finland, I now realize the invitation an American coworker and I received from a Finnish colleague to jump in the ocean in the dead of winter (i.e. ice swim) and then sauna, is one of the ways for the Finnish people to demonstrate and / or build up their sisu, in addition to being a way to address the winter blues. My American colleague and I both politely declined the offer as we were both quite content to stay warm indoors. And if I had known then what I know now about sisu, I may have made a different choice.
As change agents and leaders, we can frequently encounter challenges, setbacks, and adversity at work. Encountering so much adversity in our personal life however may or may not be familiar. Now that you know what sisu is, which of the below describes your sisu when it comes to adversity at work? How about in your personal life?
What sisu? - I am exhausted, I have no more fight in me, and I’m giving up. I feel helpless to change the situation and am just trying to make it through the day.
Part sisu - I’m fighting to overcome these challenges as I have a strong will. What is happening is wrong or unfair and I know who or what is to blame. Sometimes I’m no longer able to be rational (i.e. act based on logic) though because I’m so angry or frustrated with the situation.
Sisu - I’m picking myself back up, rationalizing my previous failures, and finding a way to cope, tolerate, or overcome the adversity. I can do this.
Sisu to help others - I’m concerned how others are handling the adversity. How can I help them persevere? It is really important for me to be of service. I feel compassion for what people are going through.
Sisu and opportunity - I accept what’s happening instead of trying to change it. I’m going to find the opportunities in the situation that will benefit both myself and the other people involved. I feel at peace with the situation.
If you’re unhappy with your answers for either work, your personal life, or both, what kind of sisu do you want to have instead? Which of the above kind of sisu results in a more effective change agent?
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Struggling with improving your sisu? Reach out to Rosanne for help so you can be who you want to be.
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About the Author: Rosanne Essiambre helps change agents and departments in one-on-one and group settings to be seen, be heard, and be effective in bringing about change in the organization and/or in their personal lives. She provides consulting and facilitation to organizations to improve communications and collaboration, smooth out the change / transformation journey, get to the root cause of an issue so it can be solved for good, improve processes, and implement successful lessons learned. And she conducts workshops, trains, and speaks on Energy Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Resilience, Being a Change Agent and more. If you or your organization could use support with your change effort or some inspiration, contact Rosanne for a complimentary consultation. Rosanne is a Change Agent Coach, Facilitator, Six Sigma Black Belt, Change Management / Continuous Improvement Consultant, Speaker, and Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner with more than 20 years experience working on a variety of transformations across a diverse set of industries both domestically and internationally, while continuously improving herself.