“It’s the not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” --Charles Darwin
Adversity comes in many forms. It may be the current global pandemic, many constant changes, or dozens of small pressures. True leaders and team members do more than cope with such adversities—they gain strength from them; they bounce back; they are resilient.
In comments about psychologically healthy people, Abraham Maslow referred to the continental divide principle. He said, “I use this principle to describe the fact that stress will either break people altogether if they are in the beginning too weak too stand distress, or else, if they are already strong enough to take the stress in the first place, that same stress, if they come through it, will strengthen them, temper them, and make them stronger.”
How do some people thrive, gain strength while others in the same circumstances get weaker? What makes the difference?
Resilient people follow a similar pattern of actions after being knocked off track by disruptive change. They:
• Regain emotional balance.
• Cope during the transition.
• Adapt to the new reality.
• Recover to a stable condition.
• Thrive by learning to be better and stronger than before
In the Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck says, “Wise people learn not to dread but actually welcome problems.” The school of life arranges for great learning opportunities for people who react to difficulties by learning new skills."
Tough challenges may call on your ability to use both logical reasoning and your intuition. Although these qualities may seem contradictory, being able to use both can be a tremendous help in doing the right thing at the right time.
Many authors write about people as being optimists or pessimists, as type A or type B personalities. Yet many resilient people are both optimistic and pessimistic, impatient as well as calm. How can a person be both one way and the opposite? What is the relationship between being resilient and having paradoxical personality traits?
Resiliency studies arrive at one inescapable conclusion: The one trait that contributes most to being resilient is flexibility or adaptability.
Why does being flexible increase your chances of responding to tough circumstances? Having a variety of available responses is crucial when handling variable, unpredictable, chaotic, or changing conditions. Successful people in any profession know that it is better to have many possible responses than to be limited to a few. Adaptation is crucial to survival in nature as well as among people.
If you look at someone who does not handle life well, it is often because he always thinks, feels, or acts in only one way and would never consider the opposite. Many people are so taken with the idea of being self-starting, for example they lose sight of the need for the counterbalancing skill of being self-stopping.
Many college students act as if they have only two choices about studying. At one extreme is the bookworm and at the other extreme is the party animal. Students who get the most of college (or work for that matter) are able to both study and play. They study effectively, stop, and then have time for other important activities.
Resiliency can’t be taught but it can be learned. You can create a plan for developing qualities and skills that will improve your and your team's ability to handle this disruptive crisis. In the plan, you may want to consider some of the following.
A difficulty that almost breaks a person's spirit can be turned into one of the best thing that ever happened to them. It is all up to you and your team--your/their attitude and your/their willingness to expand the repertoire of available reactions will determine how well you and your survive this global pandemic and other challenges in the future.
Be safe, be well and find joy and laughter whenever you can.
Adversity comes in many forms. It may be the current global pandemic, many constant changes, or dozens of small pressures. True leaders and team members do more than cope with such adversities—they gain strength from them; they bounce back; they are resilient.
In comments about psychologically healthy people, Abraham Maslow referred to the continental divide principle. He said, “I use this principle to describe the fact that stress will either break people altogether if they are in the beginning too weak too stand distress, or else, if they are already strong enough to take the stress in the first place, that same stress, if they come through it, will strengthen them, temper them, and make them stronger.”
How do some people thrive, gain strength while others in the same circumstances get weaker? What makes the difference?
Resilient people follow a similar pattern of actions after being knocked off track by disruptive change. They:
• Regain emotional balance.
• Cope during the transition.
• Adapt to the new reality.
• Recover to a stable condition.
• Thrive by learning to be better and stronger than before
In the Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck says, “Wise people learn not to dread but actually welcome problems.” The school of life arranges for great learning opportunities for people who react to difficulties by learning new skills."
Tough challenges may call on your ability to use both logical reasoning and your intuition. Although these qualities may seem contradictory, being able to use both can be a tremendous help in doing the right thing at the right time.
Many authors write about people as being optimists or pessimists, as type A or type B personalities. Yet many resilient people are both optimistic and pessimistic, impatient as well as calm. How can a person be both one way and the opposite? What is the relationship between being resilient and having paradoxical personality traits?
Resiliency studies arrive at one inescapable conclusion: The one trait that contributes most to being resilient is flexibility or adaptability.
Why does being flexible increase your chances of responding to tough circumstances? Having a variety of available responses is crucial when handling variable, unpredictable, chaotic, or changing conditions. Successful people in any profession know that it is better to have many possible responses than to be limited to a few. Adaptation is crucial to survival in nature as well as among people.
If you look at someone who does not handle life well, it is often because he always thinks, feels, or acts in only one way and would never consider the opposite. Many people are so taken with the idea of being self-starting, for example they lose sight of the need for the counterbalancing skill of being self-stopping.
Many college students act as if they have only two choices about studying. At one extreme is the bookworm and at the other extreme is the party animal. Students who get the most of college (or work for that matter) are able to both study and play. They study effectively, stop, and then have time for other important activities.
Resiliency can’t be taught but it can be learned. You can create a plan for developing qualities and skills that will improve your and your team's ability to handle this disruptive crisis. In the plan, you may want to consider some of the following.
- Ask questions. Respond to change, new developments, threats, confusion, trouble or criticism by asking, What is happening? Develop a curiosity reflex. In this way you can practice reading new situations more rapidly.
- Increase your mental and emotional flexibility. Tell yourself, “It’s all right to feel and think in both one way and the opposite. Develop many response choices for yourself.
- Assume that change and having to work with uncertainty and ambiguity are a way of life from now on. Learn to handle change with self-confidence. Experiment with different approaches and note consequences.
- Learn how to learn from all experiences. Learning is the antidote to feeling victimized. When you learn to see difficult people and events as your teachers in the school of life, you can examine your vulnerabilities and blind spots and learn how to handle yourself better. The more you take from these encounters, the more capable and effective you become.
- Develop empathy. Put yourself in the other person’s place. Ask, what does she feel and think? What are their views, assumptions, explanations, and values? How does he or she benefit from acting the way they do?
- Resist putting labels on others. In every encounter you should observe and describe what others say and do to give you insight into what they currently think and feel. Resist the urge to label the person because once you’ve put a label on someone, you unconsciously look for ways to reinforce you perception and could be blinded to or dismissive of subtle changes the person makes.
- Take time to observe and reflect. Take several deep breaths. Scan you feelings. Be alert to fleeting impressions and the early cues about what might be happening around you.
- Make yourself useful in all situations. Ask yourself, “What can I do so that things work well for everyone?” Your ability to find ways to be useful makes you valuable—and valued.
- Take time to appreciate yourself. Appreciate your accomplishments. Feelings of positive self regard help blunt the sting of hurtful criticism.
A difficulty that almost breaks a person's spirit can be turned into one of the best thing that ever happened to them. It is all up to you and your team--your/their attitude and your/their willingness to expand the repertoire of available reactions will determine how well you and your survive this global pandemic and other challenges in the future.
Be safe, be well and find joy and laughter whenever you can.
Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT
Take the Next Step...
Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability, culture, and employee engagement ? We begin with a collaborative discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To request an interview with Peter Mclees please contact:
Email: petercmclees@gmail.com or Mobile:323-854-1713
Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers, ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, real estate services, nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth.
Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.
No comments:
Post a Comment