Being Resilient to Survive
by Julie Goh (23 Nov 2022)
Much has been said about how a resilient leader can lead a company through hard times. But what exactly does it mean to be resilient?
The Oxford dictionary defines being resilient as being able to recover quickly after something unpleasant such as shock, injury etc.
Setbacks not only happen in a business. Every individual would have gone through tough times and setbacks at some point in their lives. The determination to bounce back or just let things spiral downward is an indication of your level of resilience.
How one bounce back from such situations is an indication of their ability to do the same at work – be it physical, mental, emotional or social.
When one is resilient, one is also resourceful. You will find ways to overcome or improve your situation.
Resilience Training
Can you train to be resilient? Yes, you can, but it will not be easy.
Ø You need to have an optimistic outlook. Optimistic, yet realistic. Over-promising does not help anyone.
Ø You need to focus on what can be controlled. You can’t control the price of things in the market, but you can control your expenditure.
Ø You need to control your emotions. When your emotions control you, you will not be able to think logically and act calmly.
Ø You need to practice continuous learning and improvement. Even when you are in the top management, you need to keep improving your skills. You will learn to keep your mind sharp.
Ø You need to embrace change. Flexibility is an essential part of being resilient. You will be able to respond better when facing a tough situation.
Ø Most importantly, you need to be action-oriented. I think this speaks for itself. You can’t be resilient if you just wait for things to be better.
The reason why some of our leaders are not resilient is that they reach a point in their career when they feel that they have peaked. They do not feel they need to continue learning or to improve their skills.
So, when there are unexpected setbacks, they are still reliant on old knowledge and ideas which they have used multiple times in the past. These could no longer be workable in the current situation.
The author is an award-winning HR Sifu with Kakitangan.com, who has made significant improvements in how HR operates in multiple retail and high-volume/fast-paced companies. Complimentary consultation sessions with HR Sifu are available for all paying Kakitangan.com customers.
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