“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill

The Buddhist parable of the second arrow teaches a profound lesson about how we as leaders respond to adversity. According to the story, when we experience a painful event—let’s say loss of organization funding or an unexpected resignation—it’s as though we’ve been struck by a metaphorical first arrow. This initial pain is unavoidable and part of life. However, we often react to this first arrow by shooting ourselves with a second arrow: we mentally replay the event, attach judgments, worry about the future, or let anger and resentment take over. This second arrow represents the additional suffering we create through our own thoughts and emotions.

Winston Churchill’s resolve during the London Blitz can be seen as a deliberate refusal to shoot that second arrow. The first arrow—Germany’s relentless bombing—was inescapable, and a source of inevitable suffering. Yet Churchill’s response was to maintain calm determination, rallying the population and focusing on purposeful action rather than succumbing to fear, despair, or vengeance. In that way, his leadership exemplifies what the parable teaches: accepting the initial hardship as reality, while choosing not to amplify adversity through negative mental or emotional responses.

The key insight for leaders is that while the first arrow may be out of our control, the second arrow is not. By recognizing and managing our reactions, we can lessen our organization’s overall suffering. In other words, we can’t always prevent life’s difficulties, but we can choose how we relate to them, and that choice can make a significant difference in how we take the next step forward.