Are you ‘tough’ enough at work?

As executive coaches, we’ve worked with leaders of iconic companies like Apple, Nike, eBay, Hewlett Packard, and General Motors, as well as start-up unicorns like DoorDash, MasterClass, Fivetran, and Remitly. In short, we’ve coached some of the most ambitious and impactful founders and CEOs in business today. What we’ve learned is that great companies are built by tough leaders. But what exactly is toughness? Toughness, as we’ve come to define it, is the ability to commit to a mission, stay strong in the face of challenges, and push others toward excellence. Staying strong isn’t about invulnerability; it’s about staying true to your standards when market conditions flip, pushing past setbacks when plans fail, and refusing to retreat into comfortable excuses. Toughness is a blend of inner capacities and trainable mindsets—including mental fortitude, willingness to disagree, boldness, conviction, urgency, obsession, resilience, presence, and pain tolerance—as well as relational skills. Among these are being able to productively engage in conflict, purposely share difficult emotions, deliver constructive feedback, enforce high standards, persevere through awkward accountability conve…