You hear people say they don’t cope as well as others or they find some situations too difficult to handle. While personality traits have an impact on our ability to deal with problems, many people don’t realise that resilience can be learned. We can learn to adapt better to adversities so we bounce back, rather than crack under the pressure.
What is Resilience?
Resilience is being able to deal with difficult situations and maintain stable mental wellbeing. Stress and challenges are a part of normal life but when faced with extreme levels, a person’s mental state can suffer.
A resilient person is one who can manage their stress and emotions. They see setbacks and challenges as opportunities for growth. They recognise that some things are beyond their control. Resilient people draw on personality traits and learned behaviour to cope with problems. Learning to be resilient in both your work and home life can help you better deal with challenges.
Being Resilient at Work
Resilience in workers can be different depending on their job title and responsibilities. A manager’s strength in resilience is often their drive and persistence to achieve, despite the setbacks. They have learned not to give up in the past and know how to push on. A worker may have built up their resilience through strong relationships with friends who provide support during difficult times. They may share a problem and seek guidance.
Individual Resilience Vs Team Resilience
Having resilient individuals at work is important because they can cope with stress and setbacks. They have good coping mechanisms and strategies they have used to succeed in the past. But what about the resilience of a team? A resilient team is a group of individuals who encourage each other so everyone feels safe to speak freely, offer constructive criticism, to work collectively to develop new ideas and ways to solve a problem, and to recognise the efforts of others.
Tips for Boosting Resilience at Work
Workers, managers and human resource staff can assist individuals and teams to build resilience through practice, skills and the availability of support systems.
#1 Learn Effective Problem Solving Steps
We can become more resilient if we have the knowledge and experience needed to take control of a situation and improve it. Follow these steps to help solve your problem.
Identify the Problem - think about the who, what, when, where and why of the problem
Understand the Cause of the Problem - is it a person, a process or heavy workload that is the main cause?
Brainstorm the Solutions - write out all the possible solutions and the pros and cons related to each one
Choose a Method - Decide which solution you will try first
Move Ahead - Put your chosen solution into action
Evaluate - Ask yourself if the solution solved your problem? Do you need to try another solution? Will you try something different next time?
#2 Consider if it’s a Breakdown in Communication
Many workers blame poor work communication for an increase in their stress. A breakdown in communication can make some workers think a colleague has a poor opinion of them or their work. It’s easy to read between the lines of an email or chat message and think the worst. Quite often you’ve made a problem bigger than it is. Rather than dwell on something, pick up the phone and have a conversation or walk over to their desk. It’s highly likely you can put your mind at ease after a chat or you can ‘clear the air and move on’.
#3 Don’t Dwell on Mistakes
Remember we’re all human and mistakes happen. Dwelling on a mistake you made won’t make it better. Instead take positive and proactive action so it’s less likely to occur in future. Write up a new process, meet with your manager to discuss or arrange training. Think of mistakes as life lessons and opportunities for improvement. If you’re dwelling on an issue, you're stagnant and not moving forward.
#4 Ask for Help
A workplace culture that encourages workers to ask for help will reduce some of the stress. When a worker knows they can ask their manager or colleague to assist with a problem or to reduce their workload means they don’t have to ‘do it all’.
#5 Don’t Wait to Seek Professional Help
Remind subordinates and colleagues that they can access the Employee Assistance Program whenever they need. The challenge doesn’t need to be work-related. For many people, their personal life can be causing a problem, trauma or grief. They may benefit from talking to a professional psychologist through the company’s EAP program. Seeking help sooner rather than later means less time for the stress to build.
#6 Building Team Resilience
If you’re a leader in your organisation, you need to think about more than just your own personal resilience. You need to build the team’s resilience as well. Organise team building activities to build trust and get to know each other and the way they work. Remind everyone that we don’t criticise anyone’s ideas, no one should think twice about offering a suggestion. Review previous projects and analyse what worked well within the team and what areas need more work. Building a resilient team takes time and experience.
Teaching employees about resilience can help them develop new ways of thinking about different challenges and give them a clearer idea of how to cope with and thrive in a range of situations. Our outcome-based resilience workshop aims to achieve just that. For more information, contact Altius Group or call 1800 258 487 for more information.