As the pandemic lingers and continues to alter lives on a global scale, and the economic conditions facing business owners continues uncertain, it is important to revisit the power of resiliency. This valuable human attribute has helped people worldwide overcome bleak conditions and has helped many literally change the world.
While you may think that is hyperbole, there are countless examples of human resiliency that have brought about great change.
Nelson Mandela, the first President of South Africa, Gough Whitlam, Australia’s 21st Prime Minister, Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, and Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States; are all high-profile examples of leaders who made a conscious decisions to not allow set backs to hold them back. They did not allow their race, politics, or sex to hold them back. Each of these leaders’ stories show us that ‘screwing your courage to the sticking place’ (Shakespeare’s Macbeth, 1605) was a means to their positive and life changing ends.
Lesser known yet just as important influencers who used resiliency to drive them forward include:
To learn more about these equally powerful leaders click the link.
Not all of us can have global impacts on society but all of us have the power to make great impacts on our personal and professional lives. Business owners can transform their company cultures by instilling a sense of resiliency into the organization when facing great challenges.
The goal is not to take your eye off the ball. Maintaining focus on the ultimate mission and vision of your organizational goals is critical. You aren’t going to be able to avoid every set back or business challenge. Failure is part of building your resiliency.
“The brain has a very different mechanism for bouncing back from the cumulative toll of daily hassles. And with a little effort, you can upgrade its ability to snap back from life’s downers” (Goleman, 2011).
To build resiliency consider these fundamental tenants.
- Focus on positive relationships. If the current core group you are looking to for encouragement is negative, defeatist or doomsayers, it might be time to find a new group or more inspirational voices.
- Make your health a priority. If you are suffering with illness, chronic pain, or emotional turmoil, you can’t exercise resilience with success. The underlying conditions will drag you backwards. You have to be in a good place both physically and mentally to ensure you have the energy and drive to remain resilient.
- Solidify your goals and really define your WHY. If you don’t have a clear purpose that drives you to a desired outcome, you are just spinning your wheels. Dig deep and find what moves, inspires, and motivates you to build on those pillars for your resilient fortress.
- Get support and practice a positive mindset. Be more receptive to change and avoid looking at setbacks as failures.
Harvard Business Review defines resilience in terms of mindset, and offers these instructions to give yourself a reset when you are no longer feeling motivated. “Give yourself a cognitive intervention and counter defeatist thinking with an optimistic attitude” (Goleman, 2011).
1: Go to your ‘Happy Place’, a quiet, serene place where you can get away and eliminate distractions so you can get back on track. Meditation might work or just taking a quick stroll outside can recharge your batteries.
2: Focus on your posture and your level of stress. Slouching and incorrect posture can be indications that you are headed towards a negative mind space. Stretch, move, and continue breathing to help yu reset.
3: Keep breathing, be mindful of the rate of your breathing and how it is changing during periods of increased stress. If you can be more aware of your breathing even in the most tensed situations, you can lower the anxiety and the uncomfortable nature of the situation.
4: Practice all the above and repeat often.
Once you can give yourself a ‘circulatory jolt’, your brain can more effectively work out solutions to pressing concerns.
“Resilience is about our ability to get up after we’ve fallen down and piece things back together when everything falls apart. It’s an essential skill to becoming successful” (Stokes, 2016).
Fostering resiliency in yourself is critical but hiring individuals that demonstrate a ‘never give up mentality’ is a wildly important trait that is often overlooked in the hiring process. “When companies look to hire people, identifying resilience is probably one of the most overlooked yet significant skills. It’s the underpinning ability that tells us if this individual will actually turn out to be a high achiever. Resilient people do more because they refuse to give up” (Stokes, 2016).
It’s time to Bounce Back. Working with a certified ActionCOACH can help you reset and reframe your mindset. Visit actioncoach.com to connect with a business coach near you and the first coaching session is on us. You have nothing to lose. So start your bounce today.
