Building Resilience

Question: I am feeling a great deal of stress these days and know my great employees are experiencing it more and more. In our complex world, day to day occurrences like getting stuck in traffic sap our energy and set us on edge. Add the challenges of working together—whether in person or in a hybrid environment—plus trying to balance our work and family obligations, and stress increases.  What can managers do to help our staff members be more resilient in these turbulent times?

Response: Let’s start from the premise that everyone alive has stress, but it is how we manage that stress that makes a difference. Resilience is the ability to manage stress and cope in a healthy way. It’s not that resilient people don’t get sad, hurt, or stressed, but they have learned ways to build strength out of negative events and cope better than those without resilience. When negative events happen in our lives, many times we feel stressed or anxious. Sometimes we experience self-doubt and/or become apprehensive for the future.

Resilient people:

·       Are typically positive people who are self-aware

·       Are able to find meaning in negative events

·       Look at change as an opportunity rather than an impediment

·       Focus on what they can control rather than what they can’t

·       Adjust and handle being uncomfortable in our changing world

·       Tend to be hopeful and optimistic

·       See the big picture rather than getting stuck in a challenging moment

·       Are more flexible than others who are less resilient

The good news is that resilience can be learned, but it takes practice. It has nothing to do with how much money we earn or our social status. We all have the ability to be more resilient. Some people use visualization techniques to build up their skills and see themselves finding a positive outcome to a challenging situation.

Encourage your staff members to focus on these things to build their resilience:

Take care of themselves

·       Engaging in relaxing activities

·       Exercising

·       Eating a healthy diet

·       Meditating or practicing mindfulness

Create a support network

·       Surrounding themselves with positive people

·       Maintaining close personal relationships

·       Asking for help when needed

·       Accepting help when it is offered

Help others when you can

·       Volunteering for a cause they believe in

·       Connecting with their community

Build your self-confidence

·       Appreciating and accepting themselves

·       Quieting any negative “self-talk”

·       Focusing on their strengths

Practice gratitude

·       Focusing on what they have vs. don’t have

·       Being thankful for small things as well as the big things

As a manager, encourage your employees to focus on their strengths rather than their weaknesses. Provide opportunities for them to develop their skills and celebrate their successes.

Take every opportunity to recognize and reward individual and team performance. Build up your employee’s self-confidence whenever possible. Remind people of times past when they’ve overcome challenges and support them as they face additional changes.

Your organization can encourage healthy habits and provide nutrition, exercise information, and opportunities whether your people work in the office or not. It can help build team resilience by participating in local charity events which will encourage employees to do something good for others.

Start encouraging your team today, don’t forget to follow these steps for yourself in the process.

And coming March 1—The Decisive Manager with more answers to your questions about managing people. It’s available for preorder now at https://tinyurl.com/4rh275z7