We are living in uncertain and difficult times. The recent situation with regard to Covid, and possible implications for the economy, is frightening. Most of us are living under a cloud of low level anxiety. None of this is good for your business, or work practices. In order to be successful we need to generate positive emotional resilience.
Resilience has been increasingly studied in the last decade, and has been found to be vital for successful health and well-being. We all face challenges in our lives, and the capacity for a speedy recovery is the hallmark of successful people.
Although resilience is important in all difficult situations, this article focuses on aspects we face in business;
- Negative feedback from a senior stakeholder
- Challenging a member of your team
- Losing customers/clients
Resilience is like a muscle. You need to develop it, and keep exercising in order to improve. It helps you to recover from a difficult situation and create something new.
Reflection
- Think of something serious that has gone wrong in your life
- Consider your time and energy spent dwelling on the incident
- Give yourself marks out of 10, 10 equalling extremely resilient, 0 meaning collapsing and giving up
- Give yourself a clear target number for improving your resilience
- This will indicate how much you will need to practise
When problems occur, we think negatively. Resilient people are aware of their negative thoughts, and can accept them before replacing them with a more positive inner dialogue. The longer you dwell in negativity, the longer it will be before you move on from your problem. However, resilience is not ignoring issues, it includes accepting that something bad has happened.
After reflection resilient people recognise their negative thoughts and recreate a more positive mental approach and outcome. This is a fundamental characteristic of resilience; moving from negative thoughts, to positive ideas.
Dealing with the upset
- Acknowledge that what has happened is serious
- Allow yourself to feel angry or upset
- Spend some time reflecting on why and how it happened
- Accept that there is nothing that will change the past
- Notice your negative thoughts, and start to let them go
You now need to reframe your thinking to be more positive and optimistic, this will give you the energy to bounce back.
Reframing
- I am angry that my boss criticised my team, but what can I learn to make things different
- I am furious that my Finance Director has upset the board, I need involve someone to help him develop his interpersonal skills
- I am upset that I lost that work, I am determined to find something bigger and better
- I am sad that I have to reduce my team, how can I inspire those remaining to deliver
In order to develop your resilience you will have to be aware of when it is needed, and practise some of the recommended steps. Remember that adopting a resilient approach will lead to a more successful, and flourishing, business.
