Planning for Resilience

I recently worked with a client (let's call him James) who was driving significant change in his organisation. He had created the strategy, the key stakeholders were onside and he was now ready to implement the changes. A challenging few weeks lay ahead as there would be difficult conversations with his team, some of whom would be leaving his team, if not the organisation.

James knew he needed to be strong to see this through successfully. We had talked about his resilience in a number of our sessions, and how this was linked to energy. It had taken a lot of effort to influence the stakeholders and he was aware that his energy reserves might be depleted. We looked at some of the key ingredients of resilience and James reflected on what might best serve him at this time. Here's what he chose to focus on:

Adopt active coping strategies – what can you control?

Nurture relationships with colleagues

Look after wellbeing and make time for yourself

Keep learning – try new things

And this is how he put it into practice:

He could control how he chose to approach the difficult conversations – planned with empathy, with respect, but James was clear about the goal he had set. A clear objective was to create a high performing team and he didn't lose sight of this in the process. It helped him keep perspective.

James reached out to a senior colleague, and as well as updating her on his plans, he was vulnerable enough to share his concerns and anxieties about the challenge ahead. This took him out of his comfort zone; he normally kept his concerns to himself. It paid off. His colleague immediately offered to check in on a regular basis throughout this part of the change process to offer support and, where required, advice.

Knowing he was likely to be physically and emotionally tired at the end of this phase of the change, James booked a holiday. This gave him something to look forward to, and would help him recharge his batteries. He wanted to engage his team on his return and have them inspired and motivated to achieve the vision he had set. To do this effectively, his energy levels needed to be high.

Finally, he gave himself a personal challenge by agreeing to be a key speaker at an industry-wide conference.

By being aware of the possible 'pinch points' where his resilience could be compromised, James was able to plan ahead and put a range of strategies in place to help him maintain focus, energy and perspective. This in turn helped his team take on board the changes more quickly and be more open to the possibilities that lay ahead.

So as part of any significant changes you're planning, consider where your resilience is most likely to be tested. What ingredients of resilience can you put in place to bridge the gaps?

I am an executive, leadership and career coach who specialises in resilience. Contact me to find out how I can help you, or your teams, build you resilience.