“Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.”
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
The onslaught of the covid-19 pandemic has brought unimaginable catastrophe to the business world. And although everything seems to be under control, rising from the ruins is going to be a challenge.
This is why resilience for a leader is very important more than ever. It’s important because there are a lot of uncertainties and complex environments that they have to deal with.
If they’re not able to cope and bounce back from the challenges and don’t have the agility to adapt to the changes, they’re going to be caught up in the storm of change and complexity.
Resiliency helps leaders stay on top of all these changes and complexities in the business. It helps them make better decisions. And when team members see the strength of their leader, it inspires them to be resilient and able to know by example how to navigate the challenges.
In my first newsletter How Leaders Can Build Resilience, I defined resilience as the ability to bounce back from a failure or disappointment. It’s the ability to face an unfamiliar challenge and resolve to continue to get up after every fall.
Building resilience is like a muscle that needs to be exercised constantly to strengthen it. As mentioned in my newsletter, there is never a shortage of failures and disappointments in the business world.
#1: Focus on the Growth Mindset and Solution Mindset
A growth mindset and a solution mindset can help leaders improve their skills, knowledge, and abilities. Leaders who think this way are usually more resilient because they are open to feedback and criticism and can learn from them.
“Encouraging conversations that lead to new ideas and solutions help leaders and teams be more resilient.” — Coach Anda
#2: View Challenges as Opportunities
A leader’s perspective on challenges is critical. If it is viewed as a barrier, they will become stuck somewhere. As a result, knowing how to label it correctly is vital.
The most effective approach is to view challenges as opportunities to grow. So, why not seize the opportunity?
“Every challenge provides an opportunity to learn and grow. It’s an opportunity to see things and create new things in new ways.” — Coach Anda
#3: Recognize and Understand Your Relationship with Complexity and Change
“To be resilient, you must be able to recognize and understand your relationship with complexity and change.” — Coach Anda
If you can see it in a way that will help you grow, it will help you become more creative. It will enable you to navigate those challenges with ease.
So if there’s a challenge, you notice it, name it, and perhaps name the emotions that accompany it. Then you ask yourself these questions.
- How do I deal with it?
- What can I do to address it?
- How will it benefit everyone on the team?
As a result, the practice of actually thinking, pausing, and facing those difficult situations helps you become a more resilient leader.
#4: Learn to Face Challenges
“The more you avoid challenging situations, the less skilled you become at them. But the more you face complex problems, the more it makes you increase your ability to deal with complexity. It’s like going up a level; you get used to it.” — Coach Anda
Dealing with difficulties necessitates more exposure. It would be best if you slowly exposed yourself and increase your exposure. You must also encourage yourself and consider the positive outcomes. Ask yourself these questions.
- What were the advantages of this?
- How has this benefited me, my team, and the organization?
Being resilient does not come easily. It’s a process.
#5: Ask for Help
Many things go through the mind of a leader. Because of this, it can be hard to figure out what’s going on, so it’s easy to get caught up in that storm.
As a leader, you sometimes ask yourself, “Why am I acting like this? How come this is the answer? Or, why does it have this sort of effect?”
Sometimes it’s hard to get yourself going or think of the right questions to ask yourself to find the best solution for you and figure out what the real problem is.
You need to know when you need help.
You should be able to say, “Okay, I can’t. I need to be a strong leader. I need to be able to solve this problem in maybe three or four months, but if I do it on my own, how long would it take?”
Or, “How long have I been trying to fix this problem?” Then you realize you have been trying to solve this for years.
What can coaches do?
- A coach can help you organize what’s going on to figure out what’s causing your problems and how you’re reacting to your environment. A coach can help you make sense of it all and help you figure out how to handle it.
- A coach can ask you the right questions and help you develop the best action plan for you, so you don’t have to take a long time and go through a lot of trial and error to figure it out on your own.
- A coach can help you find solutions faster than you could on your own.
To lead through hard times, you need to be resilient. Teams depend on the leader’s inner strength to keep them going. It’s like being on a ship in a storm. The crew starts to worry, but then they remember that they have a strong captain who can keep the ship from sinking.
Remember that being more resilient is not a one-time process and it helps to involve the team. You have the potential to become more resilient. It does, however, take some effort to learn or remind yourself of what works best for you and your team.