How to build resilience and overcome adversity
As organizations strive to adapt to the impacts of COVID-19, business leaders are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of resilience, both in leadership and in teams. While resilience is not a new concept—studies on the role of resilience related to improving performance and increasing productivity have been taking place for more than 30 years—a greater recognition is emerging due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. So how does the need for increased resilience translate to organizational learning and development efforts?
Studies show that building resilience as part of the organizational culture begins with leadership. Transformational leaders model resilience for their teams by cultivating a sense of self-awareness and self-leadership. They are able to sustain high levels of energy and demonstrate grit, the ability to persevere in the face of adversity. An excellent example of such leadership is Nelson Mandela, who famously cited the poem “Invictus” as a source of inspiration during his confinement, which concludes with, “I am the master of my fate/I am the captain of my soul.”
Despite resilience training and coaching programs having long demonstrated positive results in both the government and the private sector, programs of this type have not yet been widely adopted by a majority of organizations in the U.S. The COVID-19 crisis seems to be sparking renewed interest in resilience training and coaching efforts, a dynamic that may be a “silver lining” during an otherwise devastating period in the recent history of humankind.
Practical Approaches to Building Resilience
Resilience is not a stand-alone concept. Rather, it’s a collection of traits and activities that can be learned and practiced by anyone. While a number of components can be identified in training and professional coaching initiatives, most formalized programs focus on four key areas to improve resilience:
positive emotions/optimism
relationship building
meaning
accomplishment
Developing strong skills in these areas creates stronger leaders and enables employees to deal positively with stress, adapt quickly to changes and setbacks, build on their strengths, and take calculated risks that lead to innovation.
Positive emotions and optimism are catalysts of increased resilience. We see this time and time again through how people respond to stressful situations or setbacks. When we feel a greater sense of control, or confidence that a negative experience is only temporary, we are able to bounce back from it more quickly. In business, it’s essential for leaders to model this for their teams and be purposeful in continuously developing this mindset. This is an area where coaching and mentoring programs can be particularly impactful.
When employees have a greater sense of mental toughness, they are also better insulated against employment-related risks that often accompany depression, such as absenteeism and declining productivity. They are able to maintain higher motivation and display greater adaptability to changes in their work environments. Studies show that after a traumatic experience, negativity leads people to self-isolate more often and lose interest in daily activities, whereas those who bend toward optimism tend to overcome the experience more quickly and move on.
The ability to build strong relationships is also key to cultivating resilience. Practicing empathy and displaying a healthy concern for others during times of change can help to combat employees’ negative tendencies toward isolation and despair. And building a strong sense of trust increases engagement and feelings of empowerment that position teams to confront challenges with a positive attitude.
Programs that promote resiliency often focus on building healthy relationships in all areas of life—family, social, and professional—as an important aspect of the growth of the whole individual. In business, this can be accomplished by incorporating opportunities for social interactions and community-building activities within teams. Allowing employees to know and understand each other on a more personal level can help promote empathy and build trust laterally, outside of the hierarchical relationships between managers and employees.
A healthy sense of meaning is critical to fostering resilience. This is sometimes referred to as “spiritual fitness” or developing a strong spiritual core. “Spiritual” in this context doesn’t refer to religion per se, but to a sense of contributing to something larger than oneself. This also corresponds to higher levels of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and self-regulation. Having a strong organizational culture with transparency in the organization’s overall goals and values can help establish a culture of meaning for leaders and employees.
When employees feel they are personally contributing to the overall goals of the organization, they are able to sustain higher levels of motivation and productivity. For employees who have transitioned to the virtual environment, this is critical in keeping them engaged.
Recognizing strengths and accomplishments is another key component of building resiliency in the workforce. When leaders and employees recognize their fundamental strengths, it promotes a sense of confidence that helps them avoid overgeneralizing when a mistake is made or something goes wrong. Mistakes are seen not as symptomatic of some inherent lack of ability, but as challenges to overcome and opportunities to grow and learn.
Resilience at Every Level
For the greatest impact, resilience training and coaching programs should be built into every level of development within an organization. In onboarding programs, employees should build awareness of their existing levels of emotional intelligence and recognize their typical responses to stress. Employees can be taught to improve their stress response over time and build on the healthier aspects of our physiological responses. Stress prepares us as part of the “fight or flight” response by increasing our heart rate and preparing us to act. When employees are taught to harness this, they can use it as a positive catalyst for decisive action.
Post-onboarding, employees can take part in regular resilience-building activities to encourage continued growth and development. Traditional competencies such as conflict management, acuity, decision making, and effective communication are all key to building resilience. Practicing these skills regularly increases employees’ levels of confidence and optimism that they are well-prepared to confront challenges and overcome any setbacks. It also prepares them to take on leadership roles as they advance in the organization.
Resilient leaders practice a number of activities to build their own strengths and encourage those strengths within their teams. Those activities include:
Displaying a willingness to coach and be coached. Resilient leaders provide regular feedback to their teams, and they also request regular feedback on their own performance. They actively seek out input and opportunities to improve.
Seeking out opportunities to try new approaches. Resilient leaders are innovators because they don’t fear failure. They encourage innovation in their team members by creating a culture that embraces new strategies and ideas.
Communicating effectively and transparently. Resilient leaders set clear expectations and are transparent about goals and objectives. This helps to promote trust within teams and models authenticity for employees.
Continuously developing themselves and others. For resilient leaders, growth and development is ingrained in everything they do. They constantly seek out opportunities to acquire new skills, apply new concepts, and experiment with new approaches.
Building relationships and promoting community. Resilient leaders seek to cultivate a sense of community through shared goals and a strong sense of purpose. They recognize the team’s collective strengths, unique abilities, and potential to be a transformational force within the organization.
Resilience is not something individuals are either born with or without. Resilience training and coaching initiatives are being undertaken across all populations, from programs tailored to children in schools to more advanced programs aimed at adults in the workforce. In order to incorporate this approach in your own organization, you can leverage a combination of new programs as well as efforts to supplement your existing development plans.
We at Cynuria Consulting are passionate about helping individuals and organizations thrive by building resilience as an integral part of their culture. We want to help you. Contact us today to learn more.