10 minute read
INDERJIT SINGH
Leadership Decoded 2.0…... …. evolving into a resilient leader
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— BY INDERJIT SINGH
This second article of mine in the series of Leadership Decoded aims to conceptualize what it means to be resilient in the face of uncertainties and to suggest that continual evolution & metamorphosis is the only key and a dominant factor to resilience. It demonstrates the role of unlearning in that metamorphosis and suggests that problem formulation is a key deliberate mechanism of driving continual cycles of learning and unlearning. To me, that is what is really evolving!
Resilient Leadership offers a fresh, insightful, and innovative understanding of how to exercise leadership in a way that is powerfully transformative. In today’s unpredictable landscape, leaders face new challenges, difficult decisions, and continued changing circumstances. The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has forced leaders to confront its colossal impact on operations, workforces, profits and supply chains across the globe. All eyes are on leadership to guide their businesses through this crisis. Resilient leaders are generally seen as more effective, making them an asset to any business.
A resilient leader maintains a relentless forward-facing outlook, keeping both the operational and strategic elements moving. Deeply caring and personally supporting the team is at the core of being a resilient leader. It helps build resilience in others. What is then resilience and how can it be applied to management skills?
RESILIENCE DEFINED
Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties and is a further evolution of stress management. It is thus no rocket science as to why resilience is such a popular demand in today’s business environment. Many businesses are pushing the concept of resilience as a way of helping workers better cope with the stresses and strains of the modern-day office and unlock their performance potential. People who can’t handle a fast pace or uncertainty are less likely to feel motivated at work and more likely to become overwhelmed. To successfully navigate through times of uncertainty and lead teams to success, the leaders need to be adaptable, proactive, and most importantly; resilient. In effect, I believe that leadership and resilience are synonyms - words that mean the same, albeit spelled differently.
Throughout the global coronavirus outbreak, we’ve witnessed that changes are ongoing, plans unravel, and expectations aren’t always met. Work priorities shift, goal posts change, players change. Responding to the disruption has altered work in ways that will more likely never return to the pre-pandemic period. Those who can’t handle a fast pace or uncertainty are less likely to feel motivated at work and more likely to become overwhelmed.
Personal setbacks and crises don’t go away just because work is already difficult. Stresses are not limited to the office. Young children and aging parents can squeeze mid-career professionals. And no matter what anyone says about keeping home life and work life separate, or trying to find “balance,” pressure from one easily seeps into the other. To withstand turbulent times, such as the current global health crisis, organizations need resilient leaders who can keep calm under pressure and grow in the face of adversity. The question isn’t how can we avoid difficulty and stress - that’s nearly impossible to do. Rather, the question is, how do you face it? That’s why resilience or maintaining equilibrium under pressure is among the most important skills for leaders at all levels to master resilient leadership.
WHY IS RESILIENCE IMPORTANT?
Building resilience is vital to becoming a leader who can successfully navigate through challenges and guide others with courage and conviction. It is my belief that leaders with high levels of resilience are viewed as being more effective by their managers, peers, and direct reports. Businesses imbued with resilience don’t just survive, but they thrive in the face of change and uncertainty.
Resilience is the capacity to not only endure great challenges, but get stronger in the midst of them. This is such an extraordinarily important capability because we live in a world that’s one nonstop crisis, one calamity, one unexpected emergency after another, more often one difficult surprise after another; like waves breaking on the shore. The current pandemic is just one of the many adversities the humanity has experienced. Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we ought to get stronger and more resilient.
Grounded in the scientific understanding of group functioning, the resilient leadership model helps leaders understand how the “emotional system” of their organization; the subconscious, instinctual aspects of human functioning often dictate, to a great extent, how the organization functions on the rational level. By learning to understand and recognize the emotional system at play within a leader’s environment, the resilient leader is able to calm office anxiety, clear confusion, and spur a progressive, positive, productive, engaged and a happy workforce. All of us can benefit from improving our leadership resilience - making us better able to face a crisis, recover, and adapt.
BUILDING LEADERSHIP RESILIENCE
Lest it may sound easy said than done, I here attempt to suggest, from my own experience, some practical ways to build-up resiliency. The first step is to manage our own resistance. Accept ourselves, give our best and relinquish attachment to the outcome. A solid support system is one of the most critical approaches towards building resilience amongst our teams. Creating a support system with the right resources and tools can keep employees engaged and fulfilled at work. Resources and tools could include mentorship programs or flexible working environments that can bring out the best in each person on the team which in turn can boost relationships among team members and build resilience. Employees that are supported and valued by their leaders can be more productive and resilient.
The second step is to take charge of how we think about adversity, understand our beliefs about the situation, and choose our response and exercise compassion for ourselves and others. The third crucial step is to think of what gives our life a meaning which would help us better face setbacks and challenges. Look for ways that crisis and adversity may connect to our larger life purpose by reflecting on the lessons learnt from dealing with similar hardships in the past. And finally, always keep in mind to become the type of person you want to meet! Afterall, life is not about expecting, hoping and wishing; it is about doing, being and becoming.
RESILIENCE & PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE
To take the path of resilience, don’t settle for the path of least resistance. The next time someone asks for your opinion, and you know it's contrary to that person's viewpoint, take the courage of putting your perspective on the table rather than taking the path of least resistance by agreeing or saying you have no opinion.
The natural tendency of all human behavior is toward the path of least resistance. When you resist this tendency, you become stronger and more powerful. We all have battles to fight and it’s often in those battles that we are most alive. It’s on the frontlines of our lives that we earn wisdom, create joy, forge friendships, discover happiness, find love, and do purposeful work. Remember, failure will never overtake us if our determination to succeed is strong enough.
All one needs is a true picture of reality and complete unshakeable confidence in our ability to take charge of it through our own effort. That’s where hope comes from, and that’s where resilience is born. I may add that resilience isn’t a single skill. It’s a variety of skills and coping mechanisms. To bounce back from bumps in the road as well as failures, one should focus on being positive – positivity being at the core of leadership.
MY STAND:
Resilience is very different than being numb. Resilience means you experience, you feel, you fail, you fall, you get hurt; but you get up and keep going. Here, I count on my favorite expression “the harder we fall; the higher we bounce.” I often find solace in the wisdom of my idol Nelson Mandela “Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” Thomas Edison had somewhat similar phrase to say “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” And so, has Confucius “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” Oprah Winfrey puts it in a different format as “Turn your wounds into wisdom”.
I invite you to reflect over my following words I often speak to myself. Feel free to modify my narrative and upgrade it, for me to follow too, as we leaders always crave for a better version of ourselves.
My mind, body and spirit are strong. I embrace all life’s challenges. I face my fears rather than hide from them. I choose happiness each day. I believe in the power of hope. I live my life with trust and courage. I set goals I can’t possibly achieve and then I grow into the person who can. I make time to reflect, rest and recharge. I ignore doubters and naysayers especially if they are in my head. I continually nudge my comfort zone because I refuse to live a life which is simply okay enough. I know that no matter what happens in my life I will be good as I AM RESILIENT.
KNOW THE AUTHOR
Inderjit has recently earned his Doctor of Philosophy from a renowned Brazilian Institution of higher education for his engagement and contribution in International Diplomacy. He is an aviation consultant with the UN. He has served in senior level diplomatic positions in several countries of Asia, South-East Asia, Middle-East, Africa and South America. He was the CEO of IGI Airport – the 16th busiest in the world. He is an MBA, followed by advanced management courses at “Henley-the Management College”, Oxford shire, UK and the University of California, Berkeley, USA. He can be reached at inderjit.si ngh@aviationanalyst.net
