Resilience in Leadership

I share my insights on resilience in leadership. I believe that all great leaders have three traits in common (among other things). I call them the three R’s – resilient, resourceful, and relentless. Resilience has many definitions, but it is bascially getting up again after you’ve fallen down. Trying again after failing. For a leader, the definition can also include not knowing WHAT is next, but knowing there IS a next – and leading accordingly.

When you are a leader, resiliency must be a part of your toolkit. Here are a few ways to practice being a resilient leader:

• Get comfortable with uncertainty. The only definite in leadership is change and uncertainty. To be resilient, you must accept this and then know how to navigate through it.
• Trust the Next. Part of being resilient is knowing there is a next, even if it isn’t clear yet what the “next” is. Next step, next plan, next stage, next phase. The key to resilience is know that the “next” is there, even if you cannot see it yet.
• Talk beyond the crisis. Usually when we talk about resilience, it’s on the heels of a crisis. To practice resilience while you’re in the middle of a crisis, talk to your team about what work will look like after the storm passes. Focusing on the future for part of those conversations not only helps you, the leader, be more resilient; it also builds resiliency within your teams.

Being a resilient leader means you’re also building resilient teams.

Resilient teams build more resilient organizations. 

By leading with resilience, and teaching those skills, you’re making sure your company is ready for whatever is thrown at it.