What is Resilience?
We hear the word ‘resilience’ quite often these days, but what does it really mean to be resilient. A simple definition is the ability to adapt, bounce back, and recover from adversity, challenges, or difficult situations. Resilience is not just about enduring tough times but actively navigating through them, learning from setbacks, and emerging stronger, more capable, and adaptable.
The good news is that resilience isn’t a fixed trait but a skill that can be developed and strengthened over time. Resilience involves:
- Adaptability: Being flexible and open to change, adjusting to new circumstances, and finding ways to thrive despite challenges.
- Emotional Strength: Managing emotions effectively, staying composed in stressful situations, taking setbacks in stride, and having a positive outlook even during difficult times.
- Problem-Solving: Being able to confront problems, assess them, find solutions, and make decisions, even in uncertain or adverse conditions.
- Social Support: Seeking help, building strong relationships, and leaning on support networks when facing challenges.
Resilience is essential in various aspects of life, including personal well-being, professional growth, and overall success, as it helps us navigate obstacles, setbacks, and changes effectively. Dr. Hayley Lewis created a Sketchnote creatively showcasing how to maintain resilience in times of stress. It’s a valuable tool to keep handy to foster resilience.
Thought Leaders
Experts across various fields have extensively researched and contributed to the understanding and practice of resilience, and have developed strategies and interventions to foster it in individuals and communities.
Here are a few notable ones:
- Angela Duckworth: Known for her work on grit and resilience, Duckworth is a psychologist and the author of the book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. She also dedicates time and resources to fostering grit among children.
- Brené Brown: A researcher on topics like vulnerability and shame, Brown’s work often intersects with resilience, emphasizing the importance of courage and vulnerability in developing resilience.
- Martin Seligman: A pioneer in positive psychology, Seligman’s research has explored topics related to well-being, resilience, and learned optimism.
- Karen Reivich: Co-director of the Penn Resiliency Project, Reivich focuses on teaching resilience skills to individuals, organizations, and schools.
- Ann Masten: A developmental psychologist known for her work on resilience in children and adolescents who are facing adversity.
- Linda Graham: A psychotherapist and author specializing in resilience, mindfulness, and neuroscience-based practices to build resilience.
- Carol Dweck: While not an expert in resiliency per se, Dweck is an expert in and popularized the concept of a growth mindset, which fosters resiliency through the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed and are not fixed traits.
- Gemma Leigh Roberts: A chartered psychologist and expert in navigating challenges, building resilience, and fostering mindsets that help individuals thrive. She authored Mindset Matters and hosts a podcast by the same name, where she discusses the importance of resilience, as summarized by Dr. Hayley Lewis in another Sketchnote below.
PathWise coach and advisor Beth Benatti Kennedy is also an expert on resilience, mainly as it refers to burnout, and has published a book called Career Re-Charge: Five Strategies to Boost Resilience and Beat Burnout.
Key Frameworks
Several resiliency frameworks and models are particularly relevant in the context of career development as they offer different perspectives and tools to navigate career challenges, transitions, and growth, ultimately fostering resilience and adaptability.
- The ABCDE Model of Resilience (Previously ABC Model). This model (Adversity – Beliefs – Consequences – Disputation – Energization) illustrates the interplay between adverse events, thoughts, and the resulting behaviors. When faced with challenges, our beliefs about these situations influence our reactions. This can trigger a shift in mindset, fostering growth from adversity. Resilient thinking involves transforming negative beliefs into something beneficial for our well-being, enabling us to bounce back from difficulties.
- The Growth Mindset: While not specifically a model, the concept of a growth mindset, popularized by Carol Dweck, is fundamental in fostering resilience in career development. Believing that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work encourages resilience in facing challenges and setbacks.
- The SCARF Model: Developed by David Rock, this model focuses on social factors – Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness – that significantly impact an individual’s response to change or adversity in the workplace. Understanding and addressing these factors can enhance resilience in a career context.
- The Adaptability Quotient (AQ): AQ measures an individual’s ability to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing environment. It involves skills like learning agility, flexibility, and embracing change, essential in navigating a dynamic career landscape.
- Angela Duckworth’s Grit Scale: Designed to assess an individual’s level of grit, consists of two main components: Perseverance of Effort and Cosistency of Interest. The section on perseverance measures the extent to which an individual is able to sustain interest and effort toward long-term goals despite facing setbacks, failures, or obstacles. The consistency section evaluates the consistency level in an individual’s interests and passions over time. Responses help determine an individual’s overall grit score, indicating their perseverance and passion towards achieving their goals.
Resilience in Leadership
Resilience is key to effective leadership and management. It is a linchpin in navigating the complexities and uncertainties inherent to dynamic business. Leaders and managers often encounter challenges such as the need to adapt to rapid changes, handle crises, or motivate teams through tough times. Leaders need to foster strength, adaptability, and emotional intelligence themselves to guide their teams through adversity while also promoting growth and innovation.
Leaders with resilience exhibit the ability to bounce back from setbacks and inspire others to do the same. They demonstrate composure and decisiveness in the face of challenges, instilling confidence and trust among their teams. Resilient leaders also create a culture that embraces learning from failures, encouraging experimentation, and promoting a growth mindset within the organization. They effectively manage stress and maintain focus amid uncertainties, leading by example and setting the basis for a resilient and agile workforce.
Resilient managers can adapt strategies swiftly in response to changing market dynamics, unexpected disruptions, or team-related challenges. They foster an environment where employees feel supported, empowered, and encouraged to overcome obstacles, promoting a culture of innovation and adaptability. Resilient managers also prioritize employee well-being, understanding that a resilient workforce is more engaged, productive, and better equipped to handle challenges, ultimately contributing to the organization’s overall success.
Resilience in Personal Development
Resilience is also key to personal well-being and growth. Embracing it leads to viewing obstacles as opportunities for learning and growth rather than barriers. It encourages continuous development, allowing individuals to seek the development of new insights and skills, often garnered from overcoming adversity. This adaptive approach cultivates a deeper understanding of our capabilities and enhances problem-solving skills, emotional intelligence, and the ability to thrive.
Resilience propels us toward our professional aspirations as well. Managing stress, persevering through setbacks, and maintaining focus amidst challenges help us seize opportunities and take calculated risks. Resilience is about having the tenacity that fuels ambition, enabling us to embrace change, pursue ambitious goals, and carve out fulfilling career paths aligned with our evolving aspirations.
Tools
Other Resources
- HBR: Five Ways to Boost Resilience at Work
https://hbr.org/2016/06/627-building-resilience-ic-5-ways-to-build-your-personal-resilience-at-work - Forbes: Why Resilience Can Make or Break Your Career
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2019/10/13/why-resilience-can-make-or-break-your-career/ - Forbes: Six Keys Steps for Career Resilience
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryhannon/2012/12/26/6-key-steps-for-career-resilience/?sh=1640be225377 - The New Yorker: How People Learn to Become Resilient
https://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/the-secret-formula-for-resilience
