Does early failure make a leader more resilient?

Can too little early failure leave a commander unprepared for a crisis?

Possibly. Experiencing failure and loss can help develop the coping mechanisms needed to continue functioning under severe stress.

A viewer suggests that Robert E. Lee may not have experienced enough early failure to prepare him for a later crisis. Experience of failure and loss can help people develop coping mechanisms. A Second World War selection practice valued candidates who had already experienced personal loss and might therefore continue functioning after bereavement in combat. This is a war-studies perspective and a historical selection rationale, rather than a clinical judgment.