We’re all born with innate resilience – the ability to survive, recover and flourish amid adversity. Ideally, when you feel challenged to cope with difficult situations, you can tap into your resilience, nurture it and restore it for the strength needed to recover quickly from difficulties. Being resilient means accepting the reality of your situation and learning from the mistakes those obstacles uncovered. If reflecting on your choices, behaviors and cultivating leadership self-awareness helps avoid reacting ineffectively in the workplace, what are some ways you can build your resilience?
Audrey Tang, author of the publication, The Leader’s Guide to Resilience, suggests starting by focusing on healthy collaboration and fostering supportive relationships to expand resilience. She proposes understanding your value as an individual contributor and your capability to create and co-create solutions. Tang explains that everyone has innate resilience and that leaders can cultivate self-awareness, authenticity and inner strength to build resilient teams which can benefit organizations collectively.
Tang’s book introduces her five-component “ADOPT” model to help foster resilience. ADOPT stands for Act, Deal, Optimize, Prepare and Thrive.
Act by becoming the proactive director of your life and taking ownership of your choices. Deal by tackling situations right away (rather than procrastinating). Optimize by taking care of your mental and physical health and being present while exploring ways to improve. Prepare by considering potential undesirable outcomes and planning ahead to avoid them. And thrive in the face of challenges by surrounding yourself with people who boost your strength and support authentic growth.
Consider Leveraging Tang’s ADOPT Model to Build Strength
1. Act – Carve out time to reflect on your strengths and on the areas where you need support. Consider who in your network can help you compensate for skills or expertise you lack.
2. Deal – Create “If X happens, then I will…” statements to prepare coping mechanisms for stressful situations. Keep easily accessible items around that help you stay grounded and respond to stress.
3. Optimize – Make personal development and reflections a part of your team meetings and share improvement ideas.
4. Prepare – Just as you target muscle groups you want to build when you exercise, identify and reinforce areas of weakness you face in the workplace.
5. Thrive – Celebrate victories you’ve already achieved. Self-development is a continuous process.
Future-focused leaders understand that building resilience is an ongoing process. Preparing to cope with adversity before a crisis plus constantly replenishing your energy and protecting your health are all helpful tips. It’s never too late or too early to begin cultivating resilience by building the strength and flexibility you need to survive, restore yourself and thrive in an uncertain world.
Leadership Challenge: What steps will you take to help yourself (and team members) overcome the fear of failure and develop inner confidence this week (a prerequisite for building resilience)?
Brandon Rouse leads a diverse and growing team of professionals well-versed in the challenges facing healthcare today. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, OK, Brandon’s experienced team represents various technological and innovative medical solutions. ZB RX Medical and RX Medical are direct distributors of Zimmer Biomet.