When I think of resilience it brings to mind the movie Blind Side that was based on Michael Oher's life. In the movie Michael Oher is faced with many challenges from a mother that was an addict to living in the streets but through it all he found a way to look at the positive. His story is what resilience is all about, the ability to move forward even within the troubled times. We have all had setbacks in our lives but the test of true resilience is how you bounce back. So with this in mind what does it take for a leader to be resilient? Commonly used terms, which are closely related within psychology, are "psychological resilience," "emotional resilience,""hardiness","resourcefulness," and "mental toughness."
A leader can only get so far with stamina, ideas and skills to deliver success year after year. This is why a Leaders ability to bounce back, revitalize and renew is essential for the leaders of today. "Most research now shows that resilience is the result of individuals being able to interact with their environments and the processes that either promote well-being or protect them against the overwhelming influence of risk factors."
A Leader must learn the skills necessary to become resilient in a turbulent marketplace. A recent study by Korn-Ferry found that 90% of leaders were let go due to physical or mental conditions that impaired their leadership effectiveness. Second, organization changes planned without consideration for the impact on the human condition, will not only cause current leadership to falter, but they will also cause the next crop of leaders to be inefficient and ultimately everyone will suffer. A leader needs to understand their own strengths and limitations. An understanding of who in the organization compliments your capabilities will create teamwork and support. A leader must be aware of the challenges that they face. Self-Awareness is an important part of a leader’s resilience. Empathy, consciousness and learning are important qualities that need to be focused on. Emotional Intelligence so that the leader realizes the personal impact to others and understands how connections create and maintain relationships. A leader must maintain wellness spiritually, emotionally and physically.
Conner (1993) identifies five attributes of personal resilience:
- Positive: views life as multifaceted and overlapping - as challenging with hidden opportunities
- Focused: clear vision of what is to be achieved - uses this as a guidance system to maintain perspective
- Flexible: pliable when responding to uncertainty - has a high tolerance for ambiguity, displays humor and patience and relies on relationships for support
- Organized: applies structures to help manage ambiguity - sets priorities and manages
simultaneous tasks and demands, plans carefully and asks for help when needed
- Proactive: engages change instead of evading it - uses change to their advantage, leans from past experience with change and influences others to do the same
To lead in today’s marketplace it takes continuous development, effective use of resources and mental/emotional clarity. The key is to maintain these factors in order to maximize sustainability. While business acumen and industry knowledge can be gained from the classroom and through experience, leading for life requires a relationship with one’s self and the business community. The ability to lead from the heart is a trait that will give a leader the ability to be in the race for the long run. The days of ruling with an iron fist are short lived and not the qualities of a leader for life. The successful leader of the future will lead by intuition as well as through knowledge.
Zautra, A.J., Hall, J.S. & Murray, K.E. (2010). "Resilience: A new definition of health for people and communities", pp. 3–34 in J.W. Reich, A.J. Zautra & J.S. Hall (eds.), Handbook of adult resilience. New York: Guilford
Anthony, E.J. (1987). "Risk, vulnerability, and resilience: An overview", pp. 3–48 in E.J. Anthony & B.J. Cohler (Eds.), The invulnerable child, New York: Guilford Press
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