If there is one thing that managers and leaders have experienced over the last 18 months it has got to be dealing with constant pressure and change. Ironically, it seems the only constant is how many times this topic is mentioned as a top challenge. (Including our latest research)!
From my experience, leaders are challenged to drive for consistently improved performance, while finding ways to embrace new ways of thinking and behaving. As I referred to in a previous note, the days of a steady job, with a predictable workload, are over. Instead, we need talented, resilient, adaptable, imaginative and trustworthy people (these five traits forming the mnemonic TRAIT) to help achieve success. And I would call out ‘resilience’ as being first among those.
As a leader, by managing your personal resilience and acting as a role model, you have considerable influence over your team’s culture. The goal is to develop these coping skills within your team, gradually shifting the mindset to one where change is viewed as a positive challenge and something to look forward to.
But this is not just the realm of managers. All business professionals need to build their own resilience and ensure they are working in a positive and sustainable way. The trick is getting the balance right between managing and sustaining optimum levels of pressure, without getting unduly stressed. If the business can get this right then it can ensure people deliver sustainable and positive performance regardless of the environment.
This has become such a hot topic recently that we have introduced two new resilience courses into our portfolio to help people develop in this area:
- Building Resilience and Sustainable Team Performance - For Managers and Leaders
- Working Positively and with Resilience for Business Professionals
But that’s enough promotion, there are certain things we can all do to build our resilience at work…
- Know the difference between pressure and stress – Google 'stress indicators' and be aware about how you respond to pressure.
- Understand the impact of the language we use on others – Before you give someone some work to do, put yourself in their shoes, how will they best respond to your message?
- Try to be self-aware and be mindful of your emotional state - Stay positive and deal with uncertainty (after all it’s the new normal, so you’d better get used to it)… Remember to assess what you can impact/influence and what is out of your control – it is a wasted emotion to get stressed about things out of your control (although we all do it to some degree – it’s natural ;-))
So, next time you are faced with a stressful situation, see how you can approach it differently and pay attention to how people respond to you.
No comments:
Post a Comment