Becoming a Resilient Leader

We all face difficulties, but resilient people come through it. Resiliency has been described as mental toughness – the ability to bounce back. But who wants to go back to what was before? In this post we look at what resiliency is not and what it is, why it is important in leadership and then provide you with fifteen habits of resilient leaders.

Resilient leaders lead through adversity to grow and become better.

What is Resiliency?

Resiliency is not bouncing back. It is about being able to engage in a challenge and to allow yourself to be fundamentally changed by that experience. When you encounter challenges, you should never aim to bounce back to who you were before. Rather, aim to become a different person with the opportunity to grow.

Additionally, resiliency is not about passively allowing time to change or heal things. You have heard the phrase, “time heals all wounds.” Time does change things, but you have to exert the influence and work to change them yourself. Time doesn't do anything but tick away the seconds on the clock. The result of the efforts you make is, then, that over time, you become better, stronger, wiser.

What is resiliency? Resiliency allows you to adapt to change, overcome obstacles, lead by example, maintain focus, build trust, manage stress. If adversity is the trip we take, resiliency paves the way. It is the willingness to engage in that challenge and as a result allow ourselves to be fundamentally changed. Resiliency comes from the lessons and skills we learn as we grow. Instead of giving up or hiding from challenges, resilient leaders use healthy coping strategies to face challenges head-on. In exchange, we receive the gift of enhanced confidence, strength, wisdom, and courage.

Remember: The hard things (set backs, failures, adversities, etc.) are not the final destination.

The hard things drive us to work towards passion and purpose, SMART goal setting, and positive mindset. They help us grow.

Why is resiliency important in leadership?

We live in a world that has an increasing and complicated, fast-paced, ever-changing and difficult context. Leaders constantly face uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Some leaders lead with the motto of “What happens in vagueness stays in vagueness.” Wise leaders understand that their resilience directly impacts the success of the team, as their resiliency is what keeps the team motivated and focused through tough times. It is the leader that provides stability and direction that keeps productivity and morale flowing in the right direction. As a resilient leader, you inspire confidence and trust, which builds a cohesive and high performing team.

15 habits of resilient people

The most effective leaders respond to stress by adapting and refocusing by practicing the following habits.

1. They are Self-aware – Being self-aware is what gives us a choice in how we respond to things. Practice mindfulness to grow in self-awareness.

   • How’s my thinking in this situation? Negative? Positive? Optimistic? Pessimistic? Am I willing to explore options?

   • Is there a different perspective?

   • What am I feeling and how am I behaving

   • Am I ok right now? Be in the moment.

   • Our thoughts create feelings which create behavior.
     

2. They stay connected: Build strong, positive relationships that support and empower you, such as a network of supportive colleagues to bounce things off, mentors, coaches. Create an “inner circle” of people who have a listening ear and will encourage you and speak truth to you. Your connected support system may even include outside vendors to utilize when help is needed.
   

3. They cultivate purpose: What are my values? What is important to me? Am I making a difference? Do I have a spiritual connection? If you move away from your core values, things become meaningless and you don’t have a sense of purpose? Focus on doing one thing each day that fuels your feeling of accomplishment.
   

4. They practice gratitude: Everyday, list three things or people that make you feel thankful. Make it a morning ritual. Fostering a positive mindset begins with gratitude. Gratitude is the launching platform that:

   • enhances emotional well-being

   • helps us shift our focus on negative experiences to positive ones

   • counteracts negative bias

   • decreases levels of stress, anxiety, and depression

   • strengthens relationships

   • activates brain regions associated with reward and emotion regulation, promoting feelings of joy and satisfaction that leads to overall better mental health.

   • provides a healthy coping mechanism to help us navigate obstacles and overcome setback.
     

5. They are careful about how they cope. When you’re stressed, do you tend to turn to What does your go-to coping look like? What can you replace bad habits with to cope better? Exercise, fresh air, a walk, hot shower, a supportive conversation with a trusted mentor.
   

6. They practice self-care. The reality is you cannot pour into others if your own cup is empty. Neither can you rescue others when the plane is going down if you do not put on your own air mask first.

   • Exercise. Sneak more walking into your routine. It helps break the stress cycle. Is there an empowerment podcast, scripture reading or sermon, music you can listen to while you walk?

   • Go to bed on time. Try setting a bedtime reminder/alarm. Quality sleep is a major part of being resilient.

   • Take breaks and do not work through lunch.

   • Eat healthy. Avoid junk food, sweets, alcohol, cigarettes.

   • Prioritize self-care. If you are busy, schedule at least one self-care practice in your to-do list every day.
     

7. They take time to breathe deeply. Practice deep breathing several times a day, especially during stressful situations. It also allows you to take a pause, collect your thoughts, analyze the situation, and thoughtfully come up with solutions.
   

8. They cultivate a growth mindset. Having a growth mindset believes I am a person who can get better. I can grow, improve skills and abilities. Challenges provides the opportunities for growth. Stop wishing things were easier, wish you were better. Challenges can be hard for a moment, but you can get through it and grow in the process.
   

9. They learn from mistakes. Mistakes are learning opportunities to build skills. Rather than beating yourself up, ask, "What can a learn from this?" Creating an atmosphere of psychological safety is important if you want to foster growth from mistakes. Mistakes without judgement allows you and your team to be creative, innovative, and provides opportunities to grow together.
   

10. They embrace change. Adaptability and flexibility are vital to resiliency. If you are a person that embraces change, then you will not be thrown off your game because something changed. The only thing constant in life is change. Remember: The vision or goal may not change, but the process may.
    

11. They know what battles to pick. Some battles are not worth dying for. Fight the battles worth fighting. Release the others and move on. There may come a time when the battle becomes worth fighting – fight it then. Focus today on the battles that are worth fighting today. Which battles are worth fighting? Consider the following:

    • How significant is the issue? Will there be a lasting impact on you, your company, your team, or your customers/clients? If long-term consequences are unclear, it may be best to avoid the battle for now.

    • What is the potential for positive change and growth?

    • What impact will the situation have on relationships? If the fallout from the battle would be long-term or irreparable, let it go.

    • What is the impact to time and resources? If it isn't work the time and resources, let it go.

    • Does the situation impact your core values? If the situation clashes with your fundamental beliefs, it might be a sign that the fight matters.
      

12. They do not ignore conflict. While we need to know when to pick our battles, resilient leaders do not ignore problems that turn into conflict. Deal with conflict quickly, swiftly so they do not fest and grow to the point that you end up with a battle.
    

13. They knowing what is in their control and what is not.

    1. What is NOT in your control: workplace drama, the past, the outcome of your efforts, how long something takes, other people’s feelings, other people opinions, traffic, politics, the weather, family expectations.

    2. What IS in your control: kindness, attitude, your effort, your mindset, your boundaries, your self-care, your goals, your focus.
       

14. They develop problem solving skills. Strong problem-solving skills allows you to handle challenges, think critically and find effective solutions. These abilities are essential for improving business processes, managing tasks, and adapting to unexpected situations. Problem-solving skills are the abilities that enable individuals to identify the root cause of an issue, evaluate potential solutions, and implement the most effective one. While problem solving is often viewed as a standalone skill, it actually draws on a range of related abilities such as critical thinking, communication, adaptability and technical expertise. Problem solving skills include research, active listening, adaptability (open to change and being able to adjust quickly as needed), analysis, creative thinking, decision making, communication, dependability, team-building, brainstorming, and critical thinking. Seven effective problem-solving strategies include: identifying the problem, gather information, generate possible solutions, evaluate the options, choose the best solution, implement the solution, review the results.
    

15. They stay positive. A positive attitude can help us overcome challenges and work through setbacks. You will never be free from challenges, change, struggle, and worry. To be resilient you must understand that your objective is not to come to rest, because there is no rest. An old proverb says: “Behind this mountain, is another mountain.” Use what hits you to change your trajectory to a positive direction. Resilience is often endurance with direction. Which direction will it take you?