How Resilient Are You?

As you pursue your leadership goals, it is guaranteed that you will face challenges. This is common in business. However, how do you prepare for and anticipate these challenges? It starts with your mindset.

Resilient people not only survive but thrive and grow in the face of adversity, challenges, and change. Resilience empowers you to be effective and efficient, and it can only be truly tested in the face of challenges. Resilience is of vital importance when making quick and tough decisions in moments of chaos and confusion. So, on a scale of one to ten, with one being low and ten being high, how would you rate your resilience level?

What Empowers Your Resilience?

1. Tendency: Are you an optimist or a pessimist by nature? Some individuals are naturally more positive than others, and positive emotions are known to strengthen individuals and expand their ability to handle adversity. While we can intentionally create experiences that lead to positive emotions, it may not come as easily for individuals with strong pessimistic traits.
2. Personal resources: This relates to your beliefs and emotional fortitude, support system, preparedness, finances, access to people, and opportunities – all the resources within your personal and professional spheres of influence that can help you overcome challenges.
3. How you think: When faced with challenges or stressful situations, what do you say to yourself? What do you think about the situation at hand? It is important to realize that what you think predicts how you feel, what you say, and what you do. As humans, we experience a range of emotions – sadness, anger, frustration, joy, and exhilaration, to name a few. Thoughts lead to reactions, and you have the power to change how you feel, what you say, and what you do by intentionally changing what you think. Do you tend to expect the best or worst from others? Remember negative in, negative out, positive in, positive out.

How Prepared Are You for Your Challenges?

Success is rarely a straight line. The unexpected usually throws us off our course. However, the most resilient people anticipate obstacles and prepare in such a way that they can avoid many of the pitfalls that make the average individual stumble. Think about a particularly challenging goal in your life. In what ways could you boost your level of preparation? For example …

1. Finances: Are you saving for a rainy-day emergency fund or continually indulging in a lifestyle greater than what your income supports?
2. Health: What habits do you need to start, stop, or continue in order to promote good health?
3. Relationships: Who are your role models? Surrounding yourself with positive influences can greatly enhance your resilience.
4. Work: Are you practicing a balanced lifestyle? Finding the right work-life equilibrium suited for you can contribute to your overall resilience.
5. Support system: Do you have a strong network of friends, family, or mentors who can support you during challenging times? Building a solid support system is crucial for resilience.

Be prepared to win in your leadership roles

You can teach yourself to be resilient. You can learn how to hack your thinking to increase your resilience level. The fastest way is to:

1. Practice thinking differently. It is possible to approach change as a meaningful challenge no matter how stressful the circumstances. Your focus is on staying committed to your work rather than detaching and giving up.
2. Be intentional about what you say to yourself, both when you fail and when you succeed. Your secret weapon is to gain control by understanding the upside and the downside of circumstances then take actions to influence beneficial outcomes.
3. Set growth goals and be prepared to learn new skills. Believe in yourself, believe in your objectives, and believe in your potential.

Questions to Enhance a Resilient Thinking Style

1. What is your real dream … personally … professionally? (Dig deep and identify what truly matters to you.)

2. What would it mean to you to accomplish your real dream? (Understanding the significance of your dream can fuel your resilience.)

3. What talents, passions, and experiences do you have or need to harness your real dream? (Recognize your strengths and identify areas where you may need to grow.)

4. What does success for this dream look and feel like? (Paint a vivid picture of what achieving your dream would mean to you.)

5. What are some obstacles you might face as you pursue this dream? (Anticipate potential challenges and be prepared to overcome them.)

6. How can you reduce the risk of these obstacles occurring? (Develop strategies to minimize the impact of potential obstacles.)

7. How will you navigate the challenges? (Create a plan of action to tackle challenges head-on and stay resilient throughout the journey.) 

By embracing resilience, you can overcome many challenges and achieve your desired success both personally and professionally. Are you prepared to take your leadership effectiveness to the next level?