Resilience in Leadership

Resilience in leadership can be tricky but have you been in a situation where you don’t know what to do next? Or have so many things to do, you don’t know where to begin? Or have you been in a stressful situation where all you want to do is raise the white flag and give up?

There are some people who appear to be born lucky because it’s so easy for them to adapt to different things going on around them. Scientifically speaking, they were born resilient.

When facing problems whether in personal relationships, work, or school, tragedy, natural disasters and health scares, they say resilience is important. But what if you are a leader? Is it going to be easy for you?

We must acknowledge that our personal and professional lives are and should be different. However, it is challenging sometimes to separate them. Read below if you are interested in knowing what resilience is and how a person, especially a leader, can develop it.

What is resilience?

Resilience is the capacity of a person to recover after experiencing stress. It also the ability to recover from and or adjust easily to either misfortune or change.

Resilience is what gives people the psychological strength to cope with difficulties around him.

Now, let’s incorporate this into leadership. What does it mean to be a resilient leader?

What is resilience in leadership and how does it affect your leadership?

A resilient leader is a person who treats failures as temporary opportunities that they can recover from quickly. He or she maintains a positive attitude when facing adversities and getting bombarded with let-downs and roadblocks.

The real face of a leader doesn’t surface fully in the good times but rather during the most trying times. This is when they can show their emotional strength, professionalism, and courage. Adversities should not stop you but rather they should drive you to keep going. Changes around you should not be avoided but should be faced and overcome.

How to be a resilient leader and why is it important?

1. Communicate and listen effectively.

Being a good communicator builds your resilience in leadership. He/she focuses on having strong communication skills to ensure that his team understands changes, he/she sets proper expectations, and shares new directions.

If it’s a must to be a good communicator, to be a good listener is equally important. Learn how to accept feedback. Be teachable. We must bear in mind that no one is perfect, and everyone has room to grow. A resilient leader is mindful of this and he is consistent in seeking feedback in order to always keep improving his skills.

2. Build positive and trusting relationships.

Working to build positive relationships would give you and your organisation positive effects. Your team would learn to trust you and the vision you have for the business and in times of doubt, it will be easier for you to positively influence the people in your team to work with you to achieve your goals.

3. Be decisive and learn to take risks.

Groups of talented and skilled individuals should be led by focused and decisive leaders. Projects and goals only remain theories until actions are taken. To build resilience in leadership, one should be able to make difficult decisions even under pressure and to take risks to explore new ideas and innovations to keep the organisation moving forward and thriving.

4. Help develop others.

A good leader is happy with their team member’s successes. They would be looking forward to other opportunities for his or her team? Once you are a leader it is time for you to teach and pass the resilience you have found. Provide them constructive feedback to help them move past their mistakes, to reflect on their progress to success. That way, they can develop and grow.

5. Be a game changer.

To help the organisation innovate, a resilient leader is key. Embracing changes takes courage, a strong will, and requires a positive vision for the organisation. Growing resilience in leadership means you are willing to change and would encourage and motivate others to embrace change.

Let’s work together to develop your resilience in leadership. Send me a message today to receive guidance and see positive results in your leadership skills.