Maintaining Resilience, is the third and one of the most important tools in my grab bag of tools and tricks.

Maintaining Resilience

We hear the word resilient a lot, resilient  communities, build resilience, be more  resilient  etc. If you are like me and suffer intolerance to overused words and fads, you could be suffering from resilience fatigue.

Here’s the thing though, ignore resilience at your peril. When framed in the right context, building resilience is indeed a very powerful strategy for not only surviving or coping but thriving at work and in business.

The research is clear: resilience  does help.

Being able to adapt to changing circumstances and maintain the effort, is a key trait of highly effective leaders and it essentially boils down to resilience.

Resilience is like a GPS for the brain that helps us navigate through complexity. It helps us stay well and be productive at work over the long term. It starts with mastering stress, allows us to make better decisions, adapt to change and be more proactive.

In farming terminology “hard facing” describe reinforcing metal equipment by applying weld to the tillage point which is-the piece of steel that cuts through soil. Soil is highly abrasive and hard facing reduces the level of abrasion, lengthens the life of the tillage point and decreases the energy required to cut through the soil. I have named our Resilience coaching program after Hard facing because building resilience provides those same benefits to humans that hard facing does to tillage equipment.

Building resilience improves adaptability and flexibility and work performance. Kathryn McEwen, an Adelaide based organisational psychologist and University of SA biometrician Dr Peter Windwood have untangled what helps people be productive at work and stay well in a sustainable way.

Kathryn McEwen who developed the Resilience at Works Scale that I use in Hard facing -Resilience Coaching for Farmer’s suggests that resilience is a state at a point in time rather than an inherent trait, and it will vary with life’s pressures.

The journey is much smoother when resilience strategies are understood and implemented. The great thing is though, resilience strategies can be taught, and when implemented with intent, resilience can be built up and maintained.

Table 1. Practical strategies for working towards resilience at work (McEwan 2016)

S1  S2  S3  S4  S5  S6  S7 
Living authentically  Finding your calling  Maintain perspective  Managing stress  Interacting co-operatively  Staying healthy  Building networks 
Making the most of your strengths. Finding purpose and meaning in what you do. Perspective on setbacks. Caring for oneself at work and at home. Seeking feedback. How to change habits. Identify network gaps.
Aligning your work with your values. Feeling connected. Solution focused problem solving. Passive and deliberate relaxation. Seeking support. Healthy eating. Develop access to all levels of support required.
Emotional regulation. Avoiding thinking traps. De-stressing and debriefing techniques. Offering support. Exercise
Mood management. Positive energy and optimism (but not blind hope). Time management and prioritisation. Better sleep.
Response to and management of negativity. Workload negotiation.
Adaptability. Work-life-blend.
Being mindful and present.

 

Stay tuned for my next BLOG – Weathering the Storm, using personal power to steer yourself and your community through uncertain times – a grab bag of tools and tricks – Part 5, where we can delve deeper into Shift uncertainty to possibility, appropriate for now don’t you think?