What exactly is resilience?
The word resilience derives from the present participle of the Latin verb resilire, meaning “to jump
back” or “to recoil.” Resilience is our ability to bounce back from adversity. It is the innate quality that allows us to recover from change or hardship, whether professionally or personally. Being resilient means that we are mentally tough and we can endure and overcome adverse situations, press
on and achieve our goals. It is often referred to as mental agility or emotional
agility and research shows that those who have this trait, are more likely to
achieve their goals and be successful.
Resilience is important because it gives people the strength needed to process negative emotions and ultimately overcome hardship and change. Those lacking resilience may become easily overwhelmed and turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms. Resilient people tap into their strengths and support systems to overcome challenges using healthy strategies and positive ways of resolving conflict.
According to the Centre for Confidence and Wellbeing (2006) resilience is an active, dynamic process and can be developed.
Why is resilience important in leadership?
In terms of leadership, being a resilient leader means having the ability to lead others through adverse or difficult situations, maintain positivity and encourage others to work collectively to achieve goals, despite the difficulties. Today, we are faced with unprecedented change, both in our personal and professional lives, and our resilience is put to the test, more than ever.
Given that change and uncertainty has been the name of the day in recent times, resilient leaders are more sought after than ever before. This is because during uncertain times, companies need leaders who can navigate stormy waters with skill and certainty, ensuring that teams don’t sink or worse, abandon ship. Company goals still need to be achieved and moreover, goals and objectives need to adapt with the changing landscape. Leaders who can adapt the way they work accordingly, are more certain to lead their teams to success, despite rapid change and fluctuating markets.
Resilient leaders are those who have the courage to remain positive during storms, help their team navigate to safer waters and provide direction and support during uncertain times. Leadership resilience requires a unique set of skills such as flexibility, adaptability, mental toughness, empathy, great communication skills and vision.
As well, resilient leaders are those who understand that mistakes and mishaps are bound to happen along the way and see them as opportunities for growth and learning, rather than disasters. In other words, they have a growth mindset, rather than a closed mindset. Resilient leaders press on, even during difficult circumstances and they find a way to achieve the team goals, despite the insurmountable odds and roadblocks along the way.
So, what are the distinct characteristics of the resilient leader and how does one develop these unique skills? The two foundations of resilience are wellness and emotional intelligence. Great leaders understand this and have created a solid foundation of wellness and they have learned to manage emotions well.
10 Characteristics of the Resilient Leader
1. They Create a Foundation of Wellness
First and foremost, resilient leaders care for themselves. They focus first on their own wellbeing, understanding fully that to live to and serve others, we need to have our own vessels filled. They not only focus on physical wellness by practicing good eating habits, getting sufficient sleep, and incorporating regular exercise into their schedules; they also take care of their mental health. Mindfulness, meditation, regular religious
and spiritual practices and practicing relaxing hobbies are all part of their routine. It has been said that mental and physical wellness is the foundation of resilience and I could not agree more. In my practice as a resilience coach, I encounter people from all walks of life with a variety of challenging situations. Interestingly, it is those leaders who have a strong foundation of physical and mental wellness that have the advantage.
2. They are Socially Well Connected
A leader could have the greatest mental and physical health plus a plethora of additional resilience skills, but if they do not have a network of reliable social support, their resilience will be short lived. We need each other. We are designed to feed off the encouragement, love, and attention of others. Without the support of a well-established circle of friends, colleagues, and family, when the going gets tough, the goings going to get a whole lot tougher. Leaders who have taken the time to invest in great relationships with friends, family and loved ones know that during hard times, they have a circle of support which creates a safety net. Knowing that we are loved, appreciated, and liked by others provides us with a certain amount of psychological safety. Healthy connections in the workplace are characterized by effective communication in which an individual listens actively and is responsive to their colleague and their emotions (Davis Laak, 2014).
Improve your social connections by intentionally building mutually beneficial relationships and practicing empathy, good listening, and good communication.
3. They Are Emotionally Intelligent
Resilient leaders have a high level of emotional intelligence. Or should I say, higher than average. Research has shown a strong correlation between those that have great resilience and those that have an above average level of emotional intelligence. Our emotional intelligence forms the basis of our behaviors and as such, creates the emotional foundation for our resilience. If we understand ourselves (self-awareness) and acknowledge and manage our own emotions (emotional self-control), this in turn helps us to understand the emotions of
others, which positively affects our interpersonal relationships. When we relate well to others, we are better able to manage stress, make decisions and solve problems. These components of emotional intelligence, contribute to our overall resilience.
Developing emotional intelligence starts with knowing where we fit on the continuum so that we can acknowledge our strengths and develop the elements that we need to. An easy EQ self or 360 assessments with constructive feedback will provide the platform for developing one’s EQ.
4. They Maintain a Positive Approach
Positivity is a learned behavior but can also be linked to our intrinsic personality. Even so, the good news is that this trait can be developed. Resilient leaders have learned the art of developing and maintaining a positive mindset, even in the face of great challenge. This skill can be developed with practice, coaching, and applying mindfulness techniques during tricky situations. Positivity is also an emotional intelligence trait and can be assessed and developed as part of an EQ assessment.
5. They Practice Mindfulness
Speaking of mindfulness, resilient leaders have perfected the art of enjoying the here and now. They practice gratefulness and have adapted their approach to be able to savor every moment in life, acknowledging that without the things that make us unhappy, we would perhaps not be able to appreciate the things that make us happy. They have also learned that life and leadership are a journey, not a destination. This art can be practiced daily and begins with slowing down and appreciating the moment for what it is. Have a tricky teenager to deal with after a long day at the office? Resilient leaders understand that they will not be a teenager forever and prefer to appreciate that growing up comes with a certain amount of pain. Mindfulness is about appreciating the good, the bad and the beautiful. Resilient leaders take the day as it comes and know how to focus on the good, downplaying the not so good. If you would like to focus on.
6. They are Spiritually Well Connected
Research in this area has proved that people who engage in religious and spiritual practices are healthier and live longer. Kenneth Blanchard, well known leadership expert and author says that a key factor of successful leadership involves “awakening the inner self” every morning before the day starts. He goes on to explain that we are often in such a rush, and so eager to start our day, that we forget that we all have an inner spiritual self that needs to be maintained. The famous proverb “guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” echoes this sentiment and is a stark reminder that what ever wells up inside us, is bound to come out of us. Being spiritually grounded provides us with a deep sense of purpose, guides our values, and helps us feel part of something that is higher than ourselves. Resilient leaders leverage their choice of spiritual practice to create a strong foundation for a fulfilling life.
7. They are Open to Feedback
It was Ken Blanchard who said that “Feedback is the breakfast of champions” and for good reason; it is difficult to know exactly how others perceive our level of success without being told so by the people we are leading. We see things through our own paradigms and because of this, we are blinded by our own biases and preconceptions. It takes a courageous leader to genuinely want to discover what others think of their performance and invite feedback. However, it is this precise and sometimes brutal feedback that is the most powerful in helping us grow and develop as leaders. There are several ways to invite feedback – either directly, or through 360-degree questionnaires or confidentially. Either way, responding to this feedback with the approach of using it as a tool to improve, is what helps contribute to being resilient.
Do this at regular intervals with your team to learn to be more open to feedback and to learn and grow from the experience.
8. Purpose Driven with a Strong Sense of Vision
The Author, Brian Tracey said “it doesn’t matter where you are coming from, all that matters is where you are going”. This statement is never truer than when we are leading a team. If we don’t know where we are heading, how can we expect our team to know? During my corporate career as a facilitator and team coach, it often amazed me how many team members were unclear about their team goals and strategic direction. Kudos to those leaders who do get this right, this element of leadership is one of the most important. Resilient leaders understand this and have perfected the art of adapting their vision, goals, and objectives with organizational and environmental changes. This is a difficult skill to perfect because it takes practice and is largely dependent on how well the strategic goals of an organization are set and cascaded.
Even so, learning to create a powerful vision and goals for a team should be done with the teams’ valuable input and in collaboration with senior leaders.
9. They are Highly adaptable and flexible
Adaptability and flexibility are both emotional intelligence traits. Resilient leaders use these traits to help them with decision making, problem-solving and reality testing (our ability to see things as they really are, rather than allowing our emotions to distort the facts). Resilient leaders are adaptable in that they freely move with changes in the status quo and are quick to make decisions based on the new scenario. This makes them good at navigating change and leading their team successfully through seemingly troubled waters. Part of being flexible is downplaying the negative impacts of change and learning how to leverage the advantages.
Learning this skill requires practice and the best way to develop it, is to put oneself in situations that create ambiguity and challenge us to change and adapt.
10. They are Empathetic
Finally, we look at the skill of empathy. In psychology, empathy is loosely defined as an ability to understand and experience someone else’s feelings and to adopt someone else’s viewpoint (Colman, 2015). Interestingly, this too is an emotional intelligence trait and is largely developed as we ourselves develop into adults. Again, this is a trait that can be measured and developed. As a starting point, resilient leaders are likely aware of their own level of empathy and are constantly working to improve it. Why is it such an important trait in leadership? Simply put, leaders who have empathy are better leaders and can connect with and relate more easily to the individuals on their teams.
Developing this trait is about constantly challenging yourself to put yourself in the other persons shoes and trying to imagine what they must be feeling and responding accordingly and appropriately.
I am a resilience coach and leadership development expert. If you want to develop any of these skills in yourself or your team, or if you would like your level of resilience assessed, please contact me HERE
