Resilience building
Builds Stronger individuals
Through the course of our lifetime we are going to face several difficulties, maybe a loss of a loved one, a health issue, problems at work, etc. But what makes one person fall apart and another to cope with the situation, adapt and eventually move on?
What is resilience?
The answer is resilience. Resilience is often described as the ability to withstand adversity and bounce back from difficult life events. Resilience can protect us from mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression and improves our coping ability. However, being resilient doesn’t mean that all your problems will go away or that you won’t have to deal with setbacks, and definitely it doesn’t mean that resilient people don’t have feelings. Resilience is not a personal trait, meaning that some people tend to be more resilient than others, but on the contrary, it is something anyone can learn and practice.
Factors that help to build resilience:
- Self esteem;
- Coping skills;
- Social network;
- Emotional regulation;
- Communication skills.
The 7Cs model to help people build resilience
Confidence (Individuals gain confidence by demonstrating competence in real life situations).
Connection (Social support from family, friends and community provide a sense of security and belonging).
Competence (It is the ability to know how to handle situations effectively. It is a set of skills that help individuals to trust their judgments and be responsible).
Character (It is the moral compass we all have that distinguishes right and wrong and makes us contribute to society, make responsible choices, and experience self-worth).
Coping (Individuals are more prepared to handle setbacks and heartaches when they learn how to effectively cope with stress).
Control (When people develop and reach internal control they start acting like problem solvers instead of victims of circumstances).
Contribution (Contributing to the community and the sense of purpose is a powerful motivator).
Resilience Building in the Workplace
Modern workplaces tend to be rather demanding and have more expectations from employees, a fact that often results in work related stress and burnout especially for the less resilient workers. However, resilience is something that can be practiced and enhanced along the way, and having a resilient workplace can benefit a business in so many ways. Resilience makes employees more motivated, more satisfied with their job, and more capable in dealing with changes. It also improves productivity, supports emotional, mental and physical health, enhances communication between employees, and ultimately builds a strong network and increases employee engagement. Better mental health and regulated stress levels ultimately lead to less absenteeism and increase the individual’s performance.
How can leaders help to build a resilient workforce?
It has been observed that the resilience of employers can directly affect their leadership and the resilience of their employees. Leaders need to understand their employees, motivate them, support them and guide them in order to build an overall resilient organization. Strong leaders are more likely to engage successfully in leadership behaviors such as problem solving, providing creative ideas, designing goals, clarifying roles, recognizing performance and encouraging the staff to contribute accordingly.
In that direction, workplace training has been proven to be very effective and as a result many employers have started focusing on resilience training to elevate job performance and work engagement. Through training, team members develop a group understanding, a fact that promotes cohesion of the team and team coordination. Moreover, employees practice physical tasks through simulations, and also cognitive tasks that involve problem solving and decision making, thus enhancing their soft skills and mental capacity.
And finally, one tip! It is more likely for employees to participate in a resilience program when the leader is also involved!
