The five pillars of resilience

David Nikolich

Resilience. Now that’s a word we hear a lot these days. But what does it really mean? Interestingly, the good old Oxford English defines resilience in two ways:

• The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties.

• The ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape.

While I think most of us have tried to act out that first definition these last few years, I’m more and more coming around to how apt that second definition has become. After all, we’ve all been bent out of shape to some degree by the trials and tribulations of the early 2020s, and have had to learn how to spring back, again and again, throughout various challenges.

We’ve worked from home during lockdowns. Adapted to hybrid working. We’re dealing with shortages of raw materials. Mass resignations. Rising prices and falling margins. We’ve faced these obstacles, and will likely face a few more yet. Some of us are naturally able to spring back into shape, while others are still trying to navigate that process.

Fortunately, we now live in an era where it’s okay to talk about how well we are doing with things. Once, people suffered in silence or kept things bottled up and didn’t share with anyone. Things are different now. People are more willing to talk about things, they are willing to share their fears and concerns - which is brilliant. It is ok to not be ok.

Building resilience is as much about learning what makes us resilient as it is some natural ‘toughness’ we believe we have. In my own research, and the work my team here at ABSTRACT has done on the subject, we’ve found there are five key pillars to modern day resilience:

Situational awareness. This is about knowing that every situation is different, and what happens in one situation does not mean it will happen in others. We sometimes get focussed on outcomes, which means success and failure become quite subjective. When you find yourself worried about outcomes, remember this: Failure is an event, not a person.

Mindfulness. This is about how you take time out to allow your brains to reset, recover and go again. It’s important to give your brain a break when you move from one task to another. How can you do this? Do something totally different. Read a book, listen to a podcast, take the dog for a walk, before you tune back into your next task.

Self-care. Before a plane takes off, and you go through the emergency drill, whose oxygen mask are you told to put on first? Yes, your own. So make sure you look after yourself. Eat the right things, get the rest you need, and take the time to keep up with your fitness regime. Do what you need for yourself, not what someone is telling you to do.

Positive relationships are important for building resilience. Is your glass half-full or half-empty? This might be determined by the people you listen to. We all know people that can suck the positivity out of any situation. These kinds of people can influence those around them too. It’s important not to let them suck you in. Do what you can to surround yourself with positive people, and you’ll benefit from the positive energy and influence they have on your mood and outlook.

Purpose. Why do you do what you do? If you have a strong purpose, it will go a long, long way to ensuring you’re adaptable and resilient when roadblocks are thrown in your path. When you lack purpose it’s easy to wander off track and lose your drive, particularly when times are challenging. If you can understand your why, you’ll find it much easier to roll with the punches.

Let me leave you with this simple message: Resilience can be built, on a personal and organisational level. At ABSTRACT, we can help your people become more resilient, as individuals, and as a team. Talk to us today.

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