What Is Resilience?
Resilience is the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity and for humans, resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. Resilience is thus our emotional strength and our mental toughness to handle adversity.
Psychological resilience is the ability to cope mentally or emotionally with a crisis or to return to pre-crisis status quickly. Resilience exists when the person uses mental processes and behaviours in promoting personal assets and protecting the self from the potential negative effects of stressors.
What Does the Research Tell Us About Resilience?
- Self-awareness
- Attention – flexibility & stability of focus
- Letting go (1) – physical
- Letting go (2) – mental
- Accessing and sustaining positive emotion
- Competence
- Confidence
- Connection
- Character
- Contribution
- Coping
- Control
According to Resilient Leaders Elements a Resilient Leader knows where they are strong and their areas for development. They know what takes them from pressure to stress and how to rebalance.
- Clarity of Direction: Strategic Intent, Unifying Purpose and Determination
- Awareness: Self, Others and Environment
- Leadership Presence: Authentic, Serving and Intentional
- Resilient Decision-Making: Robust, Creative and Versatile
Why Is Resilience Important to Leaders?
Resilience is important because it gives people the strength needed to process and overcome hardship. Those lacking resilience get easily overwhelmed, and may turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms. Resilient people tap into their strengths and support systems to overcome challenges and work through problems.
Resilient leaders have the ability to sustain their energy level under pressure, to cope with disruptive changes and adapt. They bounce back from setbacks. They also overcome major difficulties without engaging in dysfunctional behaviour or harming others.
Key Questions to Reflect on as a Leader:
- How do you manage uncertainty?
- How do you respond in a crisis?
- Are you confident that you can always find a way through?
- Do you know what takes you from pressure to stress?
- Do you know how to rebalance?
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What People Say
If you are looking to work with someone who has an infectious passion for making positive change happen, you will love working with Hannah. She has a wealth of experience at a senior leadership level and is hugely committed to the diversity agenda. I have benefitted personally from Hannah’s wisdom and guidance on these issues on a number of occasions.
Andy Buck
Founding DirectorLeadership Matters
When it comes to authentic and courageous leadership, Hannah is unbeatable. Her value-driven approach allows her to be precise and focused whilst taking an empathic approach. One of the leadership traits I admire the most in Hannah is her commitment to asking the difficult questions that others avoid, and this has been evident in her work encouraging Diverse Leaders. She is fearless and highly skilled at driving change, even in complex situations. Hannah is a catalyst and can cause a mindset shift in one conversation. Her leadership creates leaders.