The genie has escaped, and organizations cannot return to their previous state. The consequences of covid will be felt by leaders and organizations for many years to come.
You are not alone if you are experiencing the stress and load of leadership. A new and more complex terrain is posing challenges to many leaders.
Why do some people prosper while others fail? Resilient leadership is the key to leaders thriving in this new landscape.
But what exactly is resilient leadership, and why is it so crucial? How can you develop resilient leadership qualities so that you may thrive in difficult, disruptive, and chaotic times?
In this essay, I will discuss five crucial tactics for thriving as a resilient person.
What Is Resilient Leadership?
Professor George Kohlrieser claims that: “Resilient leaders can sustain their energy level under pressure. So that they can cope with disruptive changes and adapt. They bounce back from setbacks. They also overcome major difficulties without engaging in dysfunctional behavior or harming others.”
According to an article by New Scientist, “your reaction to stress and how quickly you return to normal when the stressor has passed is called resilience.”
According to this definition, stress and resilience are closely intertwined. Stressed-out leaders will find it far more difficult to be resilient. Stress management becomes an important aspect in developing leadership resilience.
The Center for Creative Leadership claims that: “Resilience is “our ability to respond adaptively to challenges. It’s what helps us get back up again, stronger, after meeting life’s hurdles, disappointments, and failures. It’s more than simply bouncing back from adversity or not breaking in the face of hardship. Resilient leadership also includes growth.”
This definition emphasizes the significance of self-development. Change is required for growth to occur. Change is never easy, but it is always essential.
To develop resilient leadership qualities, you must learn to adapt and welcome change.
Is Resilient Leadership Critical to Leadership Success?
According to a study by Zenger Folkman, “building resilience is vital to becoming a leader who can successfully navigate through challenges and guide others with courage and conviction.”
Folkman discovered that resilient leaders are perceived as more effective by their superiors, peers, and direct reports.
According to an in-depth study of leadership and resilience, “resilience is not an end state of being, but rather a process of adaptation and growth within a risky landscape. A resilient organization not only survives but also thrives in an environment of change and uncertainty.”
Furthermore, leaders have a great effect and impact on those around them due to their position. It is therefore even more important for leaders to be resilient and thrive under pressure.
If the leader falls. The team is destroyed. You are the captain of the ship as a leader. Building your resilient leadership talents guarantees that you and your team arrive safely.
Is Resilience a Learned or Innate Trait?
Neuroscience research has discovered that the brain is very plastic, or malleable. In his book, The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science, Norman Doidge provided numerous examples of brain plasticity. As a result, you are not fixed at birth and can learn how to build resilience.
This will be easier for some than for others. The good news is that the more you are exposed to difficult situations, the more opportunities you will have to develop resilient leadership qualities.
Because it is meant to help you grow, learn, and adapt, your brain can aid you with this. This is a built-in survival mechanism.
As a result, the larger the difficulties, the greater the chance for growth and resilience.
4 Ways to Build Resilient Leadership in Challenging Times
1. Growth Mindset
Developing a growth mindset is a critical component of developing resilient leadership. Your ability to respond adaptively to adversities is defined as resilience. Adaptability necessitates change, and positive change leads to growth.
Adversity is the quickest method to grow and create new chances. Without adversity, there would be no growth, and without growth, you would be unable to reach your full potential.
Learn to see every challenge as an opportunity to become the best version of yourself. You can always rely on you to find the solutions. However, you must first locate them.
It is not necessary for you to figure things out on your own. Make use of your team's and coworkers' collective brainpower.
2. Mindfulness
Scientists and self-help gurus frequently say that brooding on our troubles while ignoring the present is a source of stress and suffering. Mindfulness and mindfulness practices like meditation have been shown to improve our moods and overall health. [7]
I'm sure you're familiar with the voice in your head that never stops talking. It is always tempted to judge, complain, compare, and rate everything as excellent or terrible. It continually disrupts your attention, clarity of thought, decision-making, and mental peace.
This similar voice frequently gets in the way of your potential to be a resilient leader. How much more productive and optimistic would you be if you could control your inner critic?
3. Being Present
Much has been said about the importance of living in the present moment. The most well-known is Eckhart Tolle's book, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment.
Being in the present now is strong because you are not constrained by limiting beliefs and failures from the past, nor are you concerned about the future. When you are in the present moment, you have complete access to the power of your mind.
Consider the example of professional athletes to highlight the power of being in the present moment. Why do they perform well one day and poorly the next? Did their abilities vanish overnight?
Let’s imagine a tennis player who is about to serve the ball. They look up and see that it is break point. Their thoughts and focus suddenly jump to the future and what happens if they lose the point. That means less energy and focus on hitting the ball. However, what would happen if they forgot about the scoreboard and entered the present moment?
They do this by placing all their focus on serving the ball. They are so focused that their mind may even alert them to their opponent making a slight movement in a particular direction. This enables them to adjust their serve and easily win the point. This is how great players consistently win matches. They realize the power of placing their mind and focus on the present moment. Being a scoreboard watcher will always take you out of the present moment. As a leader, your ability to succeed lies in accessing the power of the present moment. It also means that your need for resiliency becomes obsolete. This is because resiliency is a natural byproduct of being in the present moment.
4. The Power of Purpose
Consider one example of how the force of purpose fosters resilience.
Consider taking a road trip. However, your car breaks down not long into the journey. Fortunately, you locate an auto technician who repairs your vehicle, and you are able to resume your journey.
You have reserved overnight accommodations due to the length of the journey. You arrive at the motel much later than intended, drained and tired. When you arrive at the reception area, you are informed that there was a mix-up and that your reservation was given to someone else.
You're all set to shout. You decide to sleep in your car since you have no other option.
The next morning, you set out again. A wild hog runs out in front of your automobile as you drive down a deserted road. You swerve to avoid the hog and wind up in a roadside ditch. A strong rainstorm throughout the night causes your car to become stranded.
You think to yourself, "you know what? This isn't supposed to happen. I'm experiencing far too many issues. “I believe I will return home.”
As you're thinking this, a man in a four-wheel drive vehicle pulls over and assists you in getting your car out of the ditch.
You resumed your journey after thanking the man. After a few hours of driving, you decide to pull over and get some food.
You find your wallet is missing as you try to pay for your dinner. It must have dropped out of your pocket as you were attempting to pull the car out of the ditch. At this point, you've had enough of your road trip and have decided to return home.
This is how leadership works. You may encounter one problem after another, leaving you anxious and defeated.
To return to our scenario, what if you set out on your journey with a clear goal of arriving at your destination?
Perhaps the goal was to see your parents, whom you haven't seen in two years due to unforeseeable circumstances. It's been the longest time since you've seen them. They are excited to see you, and you are excited to see them.
What do you think you'd do if you discovered you'd left your wallet on the side of the road? Would you choose to return home? Or would seeing your parents motivate you to return, retrieve your wallet, and continue your journey?
This is the strength of having a goal. As a leader, you will always find the desire to be resilient when things go rough.
Final Thoughts
As a leader, you have tremendous power to influence and impact the lives of others around you.
Leadership is difficult in today's volatile environment. It is all too easy to become stressed and lose sight of your goals and what truly counts. Leaders must be resilient now more than ever.
Every journey starts with one step. Choose one of the five strategies provided. Then, commit to doing something about it.
As a leader, you can only have as much influence as your decisions and actions allow.
