With the life-changing impact of the global coronavirus, 2020 has certainly been a challenging time for many of us. As leaders we’re often expected to have all the answers, but in reality can be just working through the issues and implementing solutions as best we can.
Leaders who possess ‘higher levels of resilience’ have undoubtedly managed to deal with these challenges better than most. Having the right mindset is a key factor to success, first and foremost, with practical considerations following on from that.
With this in mind, I thought I’d share some of the material that I’ve previously used to help my direct reports become more effective and resilient leaders.
So, what is resilience?
Why do some people seem to thrive in the face of challenge and adversity at work, while others throw in the towel or flounder?
People who find ways to bounce back from stress and adversity possess what has been termed resilience. Resilience is intertwined with the experience and management of stress.
At work, resilient people are better able to meet the demands of constantly changing priorities and a heavy workload. They meet stress head on and master challenges, which in turn facilitates growth, self-esteem, and self-efficacy.
Can resilience be learned?
“A resilient person is not someone who avoids stress, but someone who learns how to tame and master it,” say Steven Southwick and Dennis Charney professors of psychiatry and neuroscience, and authors of the book “Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges.”
Southwick and Charney have found that resilience is not a passive quality or characteristic gifted to some individuals and not others. It’s an active process that can be learned. “Resilience is about understanding the difference between fate and freedom, and learning to take responsibility for one’s own life.”
“Most of us can bolster our careers by learning to face fear, cultivate realistic optimism, learn from role models, and give and receive social support,” write Southwick and Charney.
Strategies to build resilience
Southwick and Charney’s outline some strategies to train your brain for resilience in the workplace:
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- Foster optimism. Optimists believe the future will be bright, that good things will happen and that with enough hard work, they’ll succeed. They can cut their losses and turn attention to problems that can be solved. Being optimistic is the fuel that ignites resilience.
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- Face fear. Doing something novel or challenging can inoculate you against stress. By deliberately taking on increasingly difficult challenges, you’ll gradually learn to handle higher levels of stress.
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- Solidify your moral compass. Altruism (concern for the welfare of others) is strongly related to resilience. The most resilient people possess a keen sense of right and wrong, and articulate a core set of moral principles and stick to them.
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- Practice mindfulness. Practicing mindful awareness, learning to observe the mind and body, and direct attention to the present moment allows you to face whatever comes to us calmly and courageously, knowing you have flexibility to weather any storm gracefully.
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- Attract and give social support. In order to thrive in this world and in the workplace, people need other people. Actively reaching out to family, friends and colleagues for their advice, assistance and emotional support enhances your resilience during times of high stress. Assisting others in their time of need can also benefit the helper.
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- Find a resilient role model. Most resilient people typically have a role model whose beliefs, behaviours and attitudes inspire them.
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- Exercise. Getting enough regular exercise (and also sleep) is key to improving your mood, cognition, regulation of emotion, immunity, and overall self-esteem.
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- Find meaning, purpose and growth. The ability to see work as your calling, or having a clear and valued purpose in life dramatically strengthens resilience.
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- Train your brain emotionally and cognitively. Managing and building emotional intelligence, moral integrity, and physical endurance can all help deflect stressors. Adequate sleep is also central to all aspects of brain training.
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- Avoid seeing crises as insurmountable problems. You can’t change the fact that highly stressful events happen, but you can change how you interpret and respond to these events. Try looking beyond the present to how future circumstances may be a little better.