In life, we get dinged up by things that happen to us. Resiliency is the science and art of getting the dings out and continuing on. In this episode on resilience, Cindi and Geoff share strategies on keeping perspective, reframing situations, and taking action to get through challenging hard times. One current management challenge is change fatigue, which can lead to more dings. In adversity, managers can benefit from the 3A’s by acknowledging what the current situation is, adjusting their thinking and taking action.

Episode Highlights:

Three big insights from resilience research: 1. Resiliency isn't a stable trait. 2. Everybody has a breaking point. 3. Not all adversity causes trauma.

Cindi's mom highlights the value of resilience and also shows that resilience varies depending on the individual and the nature of the adversity.

Geoff's experience shows how acknowledging the situation, focusing on positive emotions, and avoiding counterproductive emotions can help build resilience.

Remember: building resilience is a muscle that requires strengthening over time. Resilience is about growing in the face of adversity, not merely surviving.

Before adversity, it is important to build a buffer of emotional and physical reserves to better handle tough times.

Doing things that bring balance and recentering are important resiliency tools.

Reframing from pervasive negatives (like everyone is lazy) to specific negatives (like Jim is lazy) and permanent hardship (my job seems impossible) to temporary hardship (my job seems impossible this week) can help increase persistence in the face of obstacles.

Quotes:

“ Not all adversity causes trauma.” - Cindi Baldi (From the research of George Bonanno.)

“Resilience is not a stable trait.” - Geoffrey Tumlin

“You have to look adversity it in the eye and deal with it the way that it is. Then, you can go forward, plan, and react.” - Cindi Baldi

Resources:

Bonanno, G. (2021). The End of Trauma: How the new science of resilience is changing how we think about PTSD. Basic Books.

Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance. Scribner/Simon & Schuster.

Dweck, C. S. (2008). Mindset. Ballantine Books.

Konnikova, Maria. "How people learn to become resilient." The New Yorker 11 (2016).

www.culsure.com www.ondemandleadership.com www.managementmuse.com

Keywords: Resilience, Reframe, Adjust, Growth Mindset, Positive Psychology