The Case for Resilience at the Workplace
Studies have shown that resilient employees:
- Manage stress effectively
- Build strong relationships and trust with others
- Avoid burnout
- View their work as meaningful
- Behave in ways that are true to their values and beliefs
Further research shows that resilience leads to greater zest, optimism, energy, and openness to new experiences at the workplace.
Sources: “Resilience in the Workplace,” Positive Psychology (2021)
42 percent of employees globally have experienced burnout and other mental health issues since the start of the pandemic.
70 percent of C-suite executives do not feel confident about their organization’s ability to pivot/adapt to disruptive events.
56 percent of employees do not believe that they can always “bounce back” from hardship.
7 in 10 people worldwide report that they are struggling or suffering in their lives.
Sources: McKinsey, Deloitte’s 2021 Global Resilience Report, Gallup
Behaviors Learned
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Anticipate risks and prepare to avoid or mitigate them -
Learn and grow from every setback -
Know when to push, when to pull, when to pause, and when to pivot -
Open yourself up to challenges that help you expand your comfort zone and have greater impact -
Practice tenacity by staying inspired in tough times -
Discover new pathways to success when your current approach fails
Core Ideas
Resilient teams unleash their full creative problem-solving potential to navigate adverse conditions. Resilience is much more than simply rebounding from setbacks.
Mentora’s Cultivating Resilience program is grounded in six principles:
Use adversity
Setbacks and failures should make you better, not bitter. They are key opportunities for teams to reflect, learn, and become wiser and stronger for the future.
Anticipate and avert (or mitigate)
Some adversities can be anticipated, and then, with advance planning, can be mitigated or averted. This then allows you to operate with more success in stormy conditions.
Know when to fight
If the conditions warrant it, you should not accept the adversity, but fight through it to the end, tenaciously.
Know when to move on
In some situations, it is self-destructive to keep the fight going. Instead of fighting because of ego, emotion, or attachment to an outcome, pull back, accept the situation, and move on.
Learn and turn
When a certain direction isn’t working, you can still learn from the experience, reframe your goal, and change your path midstream to arrive at a new destination.
Reframe adversity
Some challenges may be good for you to engage with. They are opportunities to help expand your comfort zone, and with the right preparation, you may reap significant benefits by engaging with these situations.
