I recently did a series of short videos on LinkedIn entitled 13 Reasons Why exploring why every organisation needs to invest in building and sustaining a workforce that is resilient in the face of constant, uncertain, complex, volatile and ambiguous change.

I received positive feedback on the series and was asked to augment it with a series of articles on the same subject. Here you are.

Busting myths

Before I explore the 13 reasons we need a resilient workforce, I wanted to bust five myths.

Myth 1 - You have it or you don’t

Resilience is not something you either have or don’t have. Resilience can be learned, practiced, and improved by everyone.

Resilience involves behaviours, thoughts and actions that everyone can learn and develop.

We all have strengths and weaknesses that we can work on to become increasingly resilient. Just as with any muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it becomes.

Resilient people learn to accept ambiguity and embrace uncertainty; they act thoughtfully; they manage their emotions and are self-aware; they maintain a positive outlook and are realistic optimists; they connect, collaborate and build networks; they operate with empathy, maintain a growth mindset and are confident in their abilities whilst recognising their strength and weaknesses.

All this can be learnt.

Myth 2 - Resilient people don’t get knocked down

Resilient people do get knocked down. They suffer setbacks just like everyone else. The difference is how they handle the situation. When they get knocked down, they don’t just bounce back, they bounce forward.

When they bounce forward they become a better and more resilient person because of the setback. They see it as a learning opportunity and grow because of it. They come back stronger than ever.

You build up resilience in yourself through learning and concerted effort. It is the result of being aware of the opportunities to grow and the courage to take advantage of them.

Myth 3 - Resilience is about dealing with the bad emotions

The ability to deal with the negative emotions is a key to being resilient but resilience also means being able to amplify the positive emotions. Resilient people are self-aware and able to self-regulate their emotions.

It is important to know how your negative emotions influence what you say, act and feel. But there is more to being resilient than just managing the negative.

Resilient people are able to balance the negative and the positive. They understand the importance of managing both the negative emotions and increasing positive emotions.

Resilient people using ‘reframing’ to seek out the positives in what may initially appear to be a bad situation.

They use humour as a coping mechanism which also increases their resilience.

Myth 4 - Resilient people don’t need other people

Resilient people do not go it alone. Resilient people are so because they are connected to others, share and have extensive support networks and resources available to them.

They are great collaborators and work with others towards a common goal. When people collaborate there is shared learning, breaking down of silos, improved problem-solving and the ability to see the bigger picture. Collaboration is the epitome of the idiom ‘a problem shared is a problem halved'.’ Collaboration reduces stress and increases resilience.

Myth 5 - Resilient people man-up

This is not true. This infers that resilient people have to suppress negative emotions, or become insensitive to them.

Resilience is not about experiencing the good and not the bad. It is about experiencing all that life has to offer. Resilient people are able to experience the unpleasant but not be controlled by it. Resilient people are able to experience the pleasant, amplify it and be grateful for it.

Summary

So now we have busted some myths, we will get on and explore the 13 reasons why organisation have to build a resilient workforce if they are going to thrive.