Leading Libraries Series: Leading for Resilience
The Leading for Resilience Set consists of the following modules:
You are in the Introduction module
Introduction
The big idea: Leadership as a resilience capability
However interpersonally skilful we are as leaders, many of us are influenced by organisational cultures that emphasise short term delivery of the task at the expense of the long term wellbeing of ourselves, our groups and organisations. We
can end up pushing ourselves and others beyond healthy tolerance levels - making our people more fragile in the long term and often causing the most talented to leave in search of a more humane environment. We can over-value the tough,
individualistic heroic style of leadership – this, in turn, means that more relationship-focussed, collaborative styles of leadership are under-valued, excluding many talented people from senior roles. And so the cycle goes on…
Fortunately, in recent years, a new focus on sustainability and well-being has brought the idea of 'resilience' into the spotlight – at least in some organisations!
Resilience is the ability to bounce back from setbacks, and, in the longer term, to focus on sustainable rhythms of effort and recovery times. It also refers to the capacity to learn from shocks and stresses, gradually improving our ability
to sustain and bounce back in more and more difficult circumstance.
At the interpersonal level, Leading for Resilience brings a focus on the whole person rather than just their ability to deliver. At the personal level, it helps us understand what our limits are and how we can be effective even during the
most overwhelming periods. The core importance of resilience in organisational success and employee wellbeing is laid out in more depth in the Chartered Institute for Personal Development paper CIPD Developing Resilience - Evidence-based Guide for Practitioners.
Starting with ourselves – Working on our own resilience
Starting with ourselves
As a leader, the good news is that you can improve your own ability to bounce back from adverse events, upsets and reversals of fortune and, at the same time, improve the resilience of your own teams and organisations.
That’s the point of personal resilience
Keeping your head in difficult situations and making the most of the difficulty is what separates the resilient leader or staff member from the rest of the pack.
Bouncing back
Many studies of human resilience extend the concept of personal resilience beyond merely bouncing back to improving your bounce-back. They show that about 30 per cent of people can use stressful and traumatic experiences to
improve how they handle similar situations in the future.
Continue to:
Resilience Factors
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