What is Resilience?

Leaders today face unparalleled complexity, change and, in many instances, adversity. The issue becomes less about the fact that challenge and adversity happens and more about a leaders’ capacity to effectively respond to adversity. 

When some people think of resiliency, the image of a rubber band pops into their minds – a metaphor suggesting the ability to bounce back. Yet, that is only part of the answer. Resiliency is more than simply bouncing back – its about growing stronger and increasing ones’ capacity to deal with future challenges. When leaders developed a strong sense of resilience, organizations are better equipped to innovate, succeed and respond powerfully to challenges.

Research into resiliency is rooted in positive psychology, which seeks to shift the focus from looking for illness and brokenness in people, to looking for hope, strength and other positive attributes. Several authors have written compelling books on the topic.

Paul Stoltz, author of Adversity Quotient, offers the following attributes of individuals who are resilient:

• Experience the perception of control over challenging situations

• Attribute the source of adversity to external factors rather than blame themselves and own the outcome of the adversity

• Compartmentalize the reach of adversity, which allows them to keep adverse situations in context

• Have the ability to endure with the belief that adversity is temporary and unlikely to recur, thus enhancing their optimism and likelihood to take action

Al Siebert, author of The Survivor Personality, argues that people who have survivor personalities:

• Have survived a major crisis

• Surmounted the crisis through personal effort

• Emerged from the experience with previously unknown strengths

• Find value in the experience afterward

And finally, physician Frederic Flach, author of Resilience: Discovering a New Strength at Times of Stress, identified a number of attributes of resilient personalities:

• A strong sense of self-esteem

• High level of personal discipline and sense of responsibility

• Recognition of ones’ talents

• Creativity and receptivity to new ideas

• Wide range of interests

• Sense of humor

• High tolerance for stress

• Focus and a commitment to life

• Faith and spiritual framework to make sense of life experiences

Resilience is an ability that can be developed by individuals, teams and organizations.