The Resiliency Imperative

A Willingness to Learn & Adjust

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"Resilience is not an endowed gift. "It's not a DNA deposit made when we were born. There's no resilience app. It's a learned capability and very much like a muscle in that we make it stronger by using it." - Nancy Koehn

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Think about this…

Have you ever heard that if you help a baby chicken hatch from its egg, it might not make it? That's because the chick must build strength by breaking through the shell independently. It's a bit like us with resilience. We grow stronger not by pushing through tough times but by learning and adapting as we face challenges. Resilience is about more than quickly bouncing back. It's about growing from our experiences. So, relying only on sheer willpower to get through tough times might work for a while, but it can wear us down in the long run. Plus, as leaders it might not be the best example for others who face challenges in their own unique ways.

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What is resilience?

Resilience is like being a strong, flexible tree in a storm. It's about facing tough times with a can-do attitude and staying calm under pressure, all while learning and growing stronger from the experience. To build this resilience muscle, you need a challenge and the willingness to learn from it. The aim is to get back on your feet and become stronger and wiser. It's about figuring things out, adapting, and getting better at handling life's curveballs. True resilience is about handling life's ups and downs with grace, humility, and a clear sense of purpose.

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Three Types of Resilience

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Physical Resilience

Prioritizing physical health, especially during challenging situations, is crucial. Stress hijacks our bodies by depleting our bodies of essential nutrients. These nutrients are vital to keep us healthy during times of stress. This is why we must increase our focus on adequate sleep, exercise, and nutrition during challenging times.

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Emotional Resilience

Stress triggers emotional responses within our bodies. These emotional responses can hijack how we view and navigate a situation. When our emotions seize us, our logical thinking is overshadowed. To navigate situations and potential paths forward for ourselves and our teams, we must bring logical thinking into balance with our emotional thinking. One way to regulate your emotions is through mindfulness practices such as breathing exercises, meditation, or your favorite playlist.

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Mental/Intellectual Resilience

Pressure can also ignite our cognitive biases, like our emotions under stress hijacking our logical thinking. We all have cognitive biases that we may have learned to manage daily but flare up under pressure. You can more easily recognize these in others (i.e., all-or-nothing thinking, blaming, catastrophizing), but you have them too. The way to build mental resilience is to identify your cognitive bias and develop skills to challenge your thinking.

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Why It Matters

Think about it. When everything changes fast, and there's a lot of uncertainty, everyone is asked to hold on. When things get rocky, it can stress both people and the whole organization, and that's not great for getting things done. Often we amplify that stress through our own thoughts and lack of self care during stressful times. We refer to this as paying a stress tax. Being resilient is about developing your own superpower to deal with the challenges with a realistic rather than a distorted view. You and your team can handle uncertainty and ambiguity without paying a stress tax. Resilient people can develop cool new ideas, stay focused, and keep everyone motivated. Plus, they're great at solving problems. This isn't just about doing well at work. It's about growing as a person and as a team.

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Your Role in Fostering Resilience

As a leader, your role is to be personally resilient and help your team find and grow their resilience. Leading, especially when times are tough, means being authentic about your feelings and creating a steady, supportive environment for your team. Remember, you can't inspire resilience in others if you're not practicing it yourself.

Remember, as a leader, your example sets the tone. Building a resilient team isn't just about being a role model. It's about creating the right environment and nurturing the right skills. It's an ongoing journey but worth it for a stronger, more flexible, and united team. Think about these ways to boost resilience in your team:

• Cultivate an environment where everyone feels comfortable speaking up, collaborating, and supporting each other.
• Help your team grow their emotional intelligence and equip them with the necessary skills through growth and learning opportunities.
• Give them responsibilities to build their sense of ownership, and show them what resilience looks like through your actions.
• Promote a healthy harmony between work and personal life, regularly check in on how everyone's doing, and don't forget to celebrate the wins, big or small.

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The Bottom Line

You're at the helm when steering your team through change. Your resilience is your compass. By nurturing resilience – physically, emotionally, and mentally – you become better equipped to tackle challenges, motivate your team, and stay focused on your shared mission. Remember that resilience isn’t just about toughing it out through hard times. It’s about transforming challenges into opportunities for growth. Seeing where you have the power to choose a different mindset that empowers you to navigate the challenges.  In other words, it’s less about dodging the rain and more about learning to dance in it. Your resilience, bolstered by your inner strength and the support around you, helps you – and your team – not just survive but truly thrive amidst change and challenges.

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