Bounce Back!

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Resilience: The ability to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness

Resilience is key to the short and long-term success of our careers. Over the course of time, we are thrown curveballs that require us to bounce back and show our toughness. Here are 4 ideas for building resilience for yourself and your team:

  • Frame the Situation.  When a situation turns out badly or something negative impacts you, how do you think about it? Is it a blame game? Do you kick yourself for “doing something stupid?” Stop. In every situation multiple elements impact the outcome. While it’s important to consider your own role, look at the various other players and their roles in the setback. Don’t look at them to place blame, but to learn.
  • Ask Questions to Find Understanding.  After assessing what role various people or institutions or situations played, follow up with questions for yourself. What was controllable? What wasn’t? What lessons can I learn? What could be different next time?
  • Take Time. Sometimes, the curveball has some pretty significant impact. Be sure to set aside some time to work through the emotions. Unpack them, label them, and try to understand them.
  • Be Expansive. Resilient people mark the ending of any setback by moving forward. They acknowledge and attend to their feelings, but don’t wallow in self-pity or self-blame. They put what happened in it’s place and take steps to make new things happen. When one door closes, they open others.

If you think about a difficult experience as an opportunity instead of an obstacle you’re more likely to grow from the experience and more likely to bounce back quickly.

Here’s to resilience in a turbulent world!