Over the last five years, I’ve lost count of the number of discussions I’ve had and talks I’ve delivered about the topics of resilience and wellbeing in times of change and uncertainty. And the discussions about the growing levels of uncertainty we’re continuing to face– war, the rising cost of living and climate change among others – mean that this isn’t going away any time soon.
Miguel Á. Padriñán, Pexels
There are so many different elements that we can discuss around the topic of resilience and how equipping people to develop this for themselves can really support change efforts. To keep it focused, here are the three reasons why I believe this is such an important topic right now, and especially for leaders of change.
People will have a more positive experience of the process of change – when people have been through a change planned by an organisation (a digital transformation or a restructure for example), they will have undergone a series of emotions and experiences. This might have included the shock they may have felt when they heard something is going to be different in their world. Perhaps they’ve been through an extensive training programme to learn a new system or way of working, or they’ve been heavily involved in the delivery of the change itself. Whatever these experiences or emotions, it would be great if everyone could feel self-assured that they can deal with the ‘new thing’, whatever it may be. If they feel equipped, knowing that they may feel these types of emotions or experiences before the change takes place, it’ll support in building that confidence.
People feel more focused on the art of the possible – when we face change or uncertainty, it can trigger an evolutionary response and our brains tell us that whatever it is we’re facing is a threat. Originally, that could have been us coming across a predator with nothing more than a blunt spear, but our brains haven’t evolved quickly enough to recognise that the announcement of a restructure is not the same thing. As a result, we can go into a fight, flight or freeze response, we can get so stressed we get ‘tunnel vision’ or feel we can’t focus. Our productivity plummets and just getting the day job done is a struggle. But, if we can develop our resilience, feel like we have some sense of control over how we respond to whatever we’re facing by choosing our thoughts and feelings, we’ll be less likely to react to things as a threat. Instead, we’ll be able to adapt our approach, perspective and mindset towards more positive action. And that can mean less stress too.
People are more likely to work together to find solutions – resilience is often described as a ‘team sport’. Connecting with others is a vital aspect of resilience and wellbeing and study after study (plus our own experiences of a pandemic) show how important our human need for community really is. If we can build the right, supportive relationships with high levels of trust, we’ll be in a good place to help ourselves and others when things are less certain.
So, how do you help yourself and your team to build greater resilience and be in a better place to face change and uncertainty? There are a range of tools and resources out there that you can draw upon.
I offer clients a solution based around a psychometric called Wraw – Workplace Resilience and Wellbeing – which measures resilience and its impact on wellbeing at work for both individuals and teams. Using the results of an individual snapshot report as the foundation, we can use coaching or workshop approaches to help to shape action plans and development solutions.
Wraw focuses on five pillars, fundamental to resilience in change and uncertainty:
Energy – how we sustain and renew our physical energy to keep going
Future Focus – having a clear sense of purpose to move forward without feeling held back
Inner Drive – sustaining our self-belief when things get tough, staying confident and motivated
Flexible Thinking – having an open and optimistic mindset,
Strong Relationships – open and trusting relationships that we can call on for help and support when we face a challenge
Whichever approach you take, think about how you can build resilience before you introduce change. If you think proactively about how to develop and measure resilience as a key element of preparing, it might just help to make the change journey much easier for everyone involved.
How do you develop resilience for yourself or your team?
And, if you’d like to find out more about Wraw and how it might help you or your team, let me know.