Description
Dealing with the impact of ever-changing work environments also requires strategies to deal with the stress and develop the skills to promote well-being. Understanding how successful leaders maintain their own energy, self-confidence and sense of well-being while facing these challenges can provide us with some insights.
- Change brings stress and additional challenges into the workplace. We know that the kind of rapid change we face from the economy and technology can create undue emotional stress for leaders and employees.
- This stress can lead to increased absenteeism, regrettable turnover, stress leave and disengagement. Since emotions are contagious, leaders have a significant impact on the degree to which they and their employees approach change.
- Drawn from recent global research, we will look at how successful women and leaders in organisations have demonstrated an ability to address a range of challenges using their self-belief and confidence to be resilient through times of turbulence and change.
- We are all working with greater uncertainty, ambiguity and change than ever. Resilience is about dealing effectively with – and making the most of – what we experience in everyday life. It helps employees and leaders to improve their effectiveness and sustain their efforts.
- While some people are naturally more resilient than others, drawing from 40 years of research work into the nature of resilience shows that resilience can be broken down into several measureable factors that can be taught, learned and improved.
MAJOR EXECUTIVE RESILIENCE
EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT: The ability to stay calm under pressure, and be aware of emotions and be able to manage them – these help guide decision-making when appropriate.
IMPULSE REACTION: The ability to shut out distraction and restrain immediate reactions to situations remaining calm and inclusive.
CASUAL AGILITY: The ability to comprehensively and accurately identify the causes of problems and select balanced solutions.
SELF ASSURANCE: The ability to converse and convey ideas with solutions in a confident manner.
REALISTIC OPTIMISM: The belief that things can change for the better is important, yet contrary to popular belief, resilience lies in accurate thinking – not positive thinking.
EMPATHIC INTERPRETATION: The ability to read and understand others in complex situations.
EXTENSION INSIGHT: The ability to seek out new opportunities, challenges and relationships.
Anyone regardless of their age, gender, position or cultural background can learn to be resilient. It is not what happens to us, but how we respond to what happens to us that has the greatest effect on the trajectory of our lives.
For the most successful leaders it is their resilience in the face of great adversity that made them succeed.
Everybody can relate to resilience and what strengths need to be developed. To help improve performance in the future, local leaders will need to focus on finding the best way to develop their business resilience, by understanding their own capabilities and being able to swiftly and effectively manage change within their business environments, as this can be the difference between surviving, striving, or thriving.
