Increasing Your Personal & Leadership Resilience

Resilience, a term with broadly varied meaning, derives from the Latin word for ‘‘to jump again.’’ According to the American Psychological Association (APA), resilience is defined as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress.”

Resilience refers to “bouncing back” from difficult experiences, whether they are professional, personal, or, as is often the case in a workplace, the combination of personal and professional pressures that can erode a leader’s ability to manage inevitable changes, hindrances, and stressors.

To be able to thrive in the midst of challenges, personal and leadership resilience is needed, hand in hand with agility and emotional intelligence; and with these key skills, one can meet complex challenges and lead others towards success.

Dr. Robert Brooks, a Harvard Professor and expert on resilience and motivation, stated in a workshop that “one of the main characteristics of resilient people is that they focus and act upon what they have control over, devoting little time or energy to factors that are beyond their sphere of influence.”

In my work of executive and leadership coaching, I witness daily how resilience can be fostered by adapting to positive self-talk and developing optimistic thinking patterns to handle everyday obstacles with confidence and resolve, taking setbacks as temporary and changeable learning opportunities.

In contrast, people who have a negative style of self-talk and thinking tend to respond to adversity with a sense of helplessness, habitually seeing setbacks as permanent, irreversible, and sometimes catastrophic.

Developing and increasing personal and leadership resilience starts with deepening our self-awareness and insight – basically, becoming more aware of our own thoughts and comments that reflect the thinking or assumptions behind them.

The next step is exploring alternative, more positive ways of thinking, and seeing the situation at hand with an inquisitive mind. While questioning irrational beliefs and choices, we need to practice self-compassion. Expanding our views and changing perspectives, and nurturing positive mindset, leads to enhanced focus, clarity, and calmness. And when leaders can operate from that space, their capacity and flexibility are increased, resulting in leadership growth and expansion.

I work with leaders to help them improve their resilience in dealing with setbacks and their ability to learn from mistakes, as a result helping them become more comfortable with being vulnerable as a leader.

Resilience, as a critical leadership competency, allows leaders to see business challenges with clarity and realistic optimism, improve their communication and influencing skills, become highly effective mentors to others and have increased ability to appreciate, inspire and motivate employees.

In my executive coaching and leadership development, I support clients to build and practice personal resilience based on a vital understanding of the role and nature of their thoughts, and invite the insights necessary to change old patterns and behaviors and improve personal and business performance.

As a result of increased resilience and situational adaptability, clients experience reduced stress and pressure, improved focus and mental clarity to set healthy boundaries and priorities, make timely decisions, build authentic connections with others, influence others without authority, and find a healthy work-life balance.

The ultimate success is achieved when leaders are able to create teams of motivated employees who thrive and drive business success in their organization.

Every leader is unique, and engaging in a process of supporting each client from a point of strategic inquiry, profound listening, and in a safe environment is essential for leaders to gain perspective, get clear on and focus on their goals, so they can ultimately lead with authenticity, purpose and influence.

Are you a leader looking to experience leadership and personal growth and increase personal and leadership resilience?

I invite you to contact me today to explore how I can support you in setting goals, creating outcomes, and managing personal change with resonance, resilience and intentional action – through executive coaching, leadership development, and other forms of professional coaching in Lancaster, PA and nationwide.

On the journey with you,

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