Recently, I’ve come to dislike the term resilience. Leaders want to make their organisations more resilient, and they want their people to be more resilient but what does that actually mean?
To me it is like telling an organisation that they need to improve communication. That is not helpful because it is not specific and open to confusion. Does it mean you don’t communicate enough, or that you over communicate? Does it mean that people don’t understand your message or that they don’t like what you are saying? Maybe they don’t like how you say what you say. Lots of things can get lost in translation.
What one person means by resilience can be diametrically opposed to another’s definition. From dealing with countless teams and organisations I always start by creating a shared understanding of the true meaning of that word. But next and most importantly I ask why people need to be resilient and guess what, they share situations that resilience is simply not the answer.
It is a convenient solution, but it is often the wrong solution. Resilience can be papering over cracks. In many instances they would be better served fixing the core issues at play rather than requesting more resilience from their people or the system.
If the team is overwhelmed and simply can’t meet the demands being asked of them, like a team in a hospital ER department with too many presenting patients, resilience is not the answer, more resources is the solution. If dealing with abusive clients is the problem, resilience is not the answer, but rather stepping away from those clients is the better approach. If being managed by a bullying boss is the problem, resilience is not the solution, organisational leaders changing the culture and acceptable behavioural norms is preferrable, followed by exiting people who can’t stop that management approach.
In so many instances resilience isn’t what is required but there are times that we face challenges and need to exhibit a power that allows us to navigate difficult situations successfully.
At these times people who have created a network architecture of support around their lives are the ones who make it through. Those support structures include, physical and mental strength, social supports, financial resources, emotional dexterity, an optimistic spirit, a deep sense of coherence, and a growth mindset.
Nothing gives me as much pleasure as hearing attendees contact me after a session to explain how they used the skills and techniques to overcome the storms in their lives.
While it does frustrate me that many think of resilience in terms of toughening up, showing more grit and fortitude, or getting up after being knocked down, that is an approach that can lead to burn out and illness. Having the conversation about a more modern and nuanced view of resilience can illuminate a path to performance that leaves the individual and the organisation stronger and ready to deal with the fast-paced complex changing world we all face and winning. That’s why we need to talk about resilience.
