Enabling Others to be Resilient

Over recent weeks we have asked a range of leaders about the advice they give to others about guarding and building their resilience in challenging times. The perspectives they gave us included steering their work colleagues and volunteers to adopt the following good practice, which is especially important in the current context.

• Understand yourself, and where your energy comes from. Try to get to the root of what can undermine your resilience
• Create positive practices in the good times so you can draw on them in the tough times
• Try to picture what being strong might look like, and cultivate that mindset
• Keep a sense of perspective and humour
• Don’t take everything too seriously. When negative things happen, try not to dwell on them
• Listen to your body and your emotions and look after your physical and mental well being
• Write down what is going around in your head and share what you are hearing with a trusted other
• Create order and structure around you and insist it includes time for switching off
• Focus on the essentials and don’t waste time worrying about things you cannot change
• Know that you are not alone: others have been on or are on the same journey as you
• Keep a positive mindset and recognise that there are opportunities in every situation
• Never lose sight of what matters to you
• Show curiosity about where others are coming from and what you may be triggering in them
• Keep asking questions and having open conversations. Don’t close the discussion down prematurely
• Acknowledge when you have made difficult choices and allow yourself some recovery time
• Avoid giving those around you things to ruminate about.

Next week we will set out a series of questions for individual reflection, or for a coaching conversation. These questions will cover building and guarding your resilience as a leader.

· Warning signs

· Triggers

· Anchors

· Mindset

· Strategies

· Accountabilities

The full text of the Insight Booklet, ‘The Resilient Leader’ can be found here.