Leading from a place of resilience

Resilience: the ability to adapt, change course, stay calm, recovery quickly and remain confident in the face of challenge. These are some of today’s most valuable and sought after leadership skills.

Resilience is not something you arrive at, it’s something you consistently choose. Becoming resilient and maintaining resilience is a never ending journey. Resilience is an intentional choice. A state of mind and state of being that we are committed to.

So what prevents us from leading from a place of resilience?

Lack of Awareness. At any given moment, are you tuned into how you feel? What you need? What your thoughts, words or actions are and why you’re choosing them? For years and years people thought humans were hardwired and unable to change so there wasn’t much research, training or discussion around self-awareness and understanding. More recent research shows we are able to make great shifts in our patterns, habits, thinking and being if we are willing to put in effort. What core beliefs do you operate from? How might you need to address your own awareness?

Denial. When we move into awareness, it is common to go straight into denial. We bring our beliefs, feelings and needs into awareness and we immediately feel shame, guilt, anxiety or a combination of them all. Instead of allowing ourselves to face and feel we distract ourselves and keep busy, or we suppress whatever comes up by shoving it back down. While in the short term it may seem easier, this dissonance inside us will eventually leak out.

Lack of Vision and Hope. If we are so far into a situation we can’t see our way out or feel like a victim of our circumstance, we will not be able to lead from a place of resilience. We must be able to employ the Stockdale Paradox as shared by Jim Collins, “You must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, and at the same time, have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” Regardless of where we are, there is an opportunity to choose hope and a different vision.

Lack of Connection. We cannot lead from a place of resilience if we are trying to live and lead on our own. We need community. We need each other. We all go through periods of challenge and change that require additional support and other perspectives. We have to relearn how to create connections, how to ask for help, and how to let others in.

Lack of Celebration. This is a key part of leading from a place of resilience. It is the simplest to employ, yet often the hardest to do. All of us want to know we are adding value, making a meaningful difference, and making progress. In the midst of our busy and distracted world, we have to take it upon ourselves to point out where we are doing all of those things because it is easily lost. Especially in a world where progress is no longer linear. Where in your life and leadership could you celebrate more?

Remember, leading from a place of resilience is an intentional choice and requires personal responsibility. It is a state of mind and being. We just have to choose to be there.

Lindsay Leahy is the founder and dream builder of The Restoration Project.

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