Today we are talking about the key enablers of resilience. Over the past few blogs, we have shared a deep dive into this area and how being resilient can completely change our lives; read our previous posts here.
Last time we looked at two challenging barriers to being resilient, and today we have flipped things around to look at the enablers of resilience.
As a reminder, resilience has become vital for individuals and organisations. Building resilience enables us to navigate challenges, adapt to change, and thrive in adversity.
As a leadership trainer, I work with individuals in organisations across the globe daily and understand and experience clearly how resilience works for them when it comes to achieving personal and professional success.
In this post, we will explore the key enablers of resilience to consider.
Your Robust Mindset: Cultivating Mental Strength
Resilience starts with developing a robust mindset. Adopting a positive outlook, focusing on growth, and reframing challenges as opportunities for learning and growth can enhance your mental resilience.
Embrace a growth mindset that sees setbacks as temporary and believes in your ability to overcome obstacles.
The growth mindset concept was first introduced by Carol Dweck, a Stanford Psychologist.
Dweck theorised that people generally have one of two different types of mindset: a growth mindset or a fixed mindset. People with a fixed mindset believe they have the talent and skills to accomplish a goal or don’t. They allow what they perceive as “fate” to control their lives.
On the other hand, people with a growth mindset believe skills, intelligence, and success are things people can cultivate and develop with hard work and effort. Those with a growth mindset commit to lifelong learning and improvement, believing every failure is an opportunity to learn, develop, and improve. If you haven’t got a copy of her book, grab one from Amazon; it will be well worth it.
Adaptability: Embracing Change as a Catalyst
Adaptability is crucial to developing resilience in a rapidly changing business environment. In other words, embrace change as a catalyst for growth rather than resisting it.
In today’s uncertain landscape, organisations AND their leaders must adapt and evolve to remain competitive and sustainable. Adaptive leadership offers a framework for effectively leading and managing change.
Your resilience improves as you develop flexibility, openness, and a willingness to learn new skills and approaches.
Effective Stress Management: Nurturing Well-Being
In a previous post last month, we talked about good versus bad stress, and we shared the data that being more resilient requires effective stress management. Prioritise self-care and well-being to recharge your energy and maintain mental and emotional equilibrium.
Incorporate stress-reducing practices such as regular exercise, mindfulness meditation, and healthy work-life balance. Seek support from mentors and coaches consistently, not ‘just’ when things aren’t working well.
Create a Robust Support Network: Harnessing Collective Strength
Building a robust support network is essential for resilience. Surround yourself with positive and supportive individuals who inspire and motivate you. Cultivate relationships within your organisation, industry, and professional networks to tap into collective wisdom, share experiences, and seek guidance during challenging times.
Continuous Learning: Expanding Knowledge and Skills
The more we know, the better we feel and the more resilience we experience; why?
Resilience thrives on continuous learning and personal growth. The more we experience being outside our comfort zone and coping, the better we feel, and the cycle continues.
A nudge to invest in expanding your knowledge and acquiring new skills relevant to your current role. Look out for learning opportunities in and outside of your organisation.
Embrace a lifelong learning mindset to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving business landscape.
Emotional Intelligence: Navigating Relationships and Challenges
Emotional intelligence (EQ) plays a vital role in resilience. Enhance your EQ by developing self-awareness, empathy, and effective communication skills.
Here’s how EQ contributes to resilience.
Self-Awareness: Resilience begins with self-awareness, which involves recognising and understanding our emotions, strengths, weaknesses, and triggers. EQ helps individuals become attuned to their emotional responses, allowing them to understand better how they react to stressors and challenges.
By developing self-awareness, individuals can identify their emotions and regulate their responses, leading to greater resilience in adversity.
Emotion Regulation: EQ enables individuals to manage their emotions effectively. Resilient individuals can recognise and regulate negative emotions, such as fear, frustration, or anger, allowing them to maintain a sense of calm and clarity during challenging situations.
By understanding and managing their emotions, individuals can respond to setbacks with composure, adaptability, and problem-solving skills.
Empathy and Taking Perspective: Resilience involves navigating and building relationships effectively within and outside the organisation. EQ encompasses empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of others.
By practising empathy, resilient individuals can foster strong relationships, collaborate effectively, and support others during difficult times.
Taking perspective, another aspect of EQ, allows individuals to consider different viewpoints, enhancing their ability to find solutions and overcome obstacles. Resilience is the foundation for personal and professional success.
By incorporating key enablers into your business life, such as cultivating a robust mindset, embracing adaptability, practising effective stress management, nurturing a support network, fostering continuous learning, and developing emotional intelligence, you can build the resilience necessary to thrive in a dynamic and unpredictable business environment.
Until next time,
Julia
About Zestfor
Zestfor delivers training coaching and development programs and resources scientifically tailored to develop leaders and their teams in technical markets – including Pharmaceutical, IT, and Life Sciences.
Our blend of in-classroom, online, and virtual live-stream delivery methods will engage and assure even the most introverted team members from the first meeting.
You can find out more about our Resilience offerings: Resilience coaching and forthcoming programmes here and Raising Resilience programme here. Or call us on 0845 548 0833.
