Abstract
The recent circumstances many organization faced, such as the closure of a business unit and subsequent layoffs, have had a significant personal impact leading to feelings of fear, uncertainty, and grief among employees. These emotions can manifest in various ways, such as a holding back, fear of job loss, indifference towards work, or employees seeking opportunities elsewhere. To overcome these challenges and emerge stronger, it is crucial to develop resilience on both individual and organizational levels (Sedas, 2015; Ginsberg, 2020) *.
To overcome these challenges and develop resilience, your organization needs more than just surface-level motivation. It requires a comprehensive approach to rebuild confidence, trust, and engagement among employees. This involves addressing the underlying emotions and providing tangible tools and experiences that build on the 7 pillars of reslience and empower individuals to navigate through adversity.
I. Introduction
In the face of adversity, both at an individual and organizational level, resilience becomes paramount. For a company and its employees, the ability to bounce back from challenges and setbacks is crucial for not only surviving but thriving in the aftermath of adversity. Resilience empowers individuals to adapt to new circumstances, recover from setbacks, and maintain a positive and determined mindset.
In a personal context, resilience enables employees to navigate the emotional impact of difficult times, foster a sense of hope and optimism, and cultivate the strength to persevere through tough situations. It bolsters their ability to cope with uncertainty, overcome self-doubt, and find new ways to contribute their skills and expertise.
Professionally, resilience equips employees with the mental and emotional fortitude to face dynamic work environments, adapt to changes, and maintain focus and productivity. It helps them embrace new challenges as opportunities for growth, harness their problem-solving abilities, and effectively collaborate with teammates to find innovative solutions.
By nurturing resilience within the company and its people, it fosters a culture of strength, determination, and adaptability. This, in turn, enables the organization to collectively bounce back from adversity, rebuild confidence, and propel forward toward success. Resilience becomes the driving force that allows the company and its employees to not only survive difficult times but emerge stronger, more united, and poised for future growth.
II. The Seven Pillars of Resiliency (Ginsburg)
- Competency: Having the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively handle a situation.
- Self-Confidence: Believing in one's own skills and abilities based on their competencies.
- Connectivity: Feeling a sense of belonging and support, knowing that one is not alone in facing challenges.
- Character: Having a clear understanding of right and wrong, and acting with integrity.
- Contribution: Finding purpose and significance through contributing to others and sharing experiences.
- Coping: Understanding the difference between real crises and situations that feel like emergencies.
- Control: Recognizing that one's decisions and actions have an impact on outcomes, fostering confidence in overcoming challenges.
III. Empower Your Team
To empower your team you need to go way beyond motivational speeches. You need to equip your team with the necessary tools and mindset to work together, navigate challenges, and contribute to the ongoing transformation of your organization.
Through carefully crafted exercises, we can help your team gain practical strategies and insights that counteract fear, resistance, and indifference, and develop clarity and a strong sense of confidence and personal connection within themselves, each other, and the organization. We create a transformative space where they will ideate, work together, rebuild and thrive, contributing to the collective success and growth of your organization.
In addition to gaining trust and connectivity, they will gain clarity through a comprehensive exercise that helps them visualise a path that aligns with your values and a customer and culture centric vision of the future - now.
Call us today and find out how we can help you empower your team to build a stronger Organization for the future.
IV. References
- Ginsburg, K. R., & Jablow, M. M. (2020). Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings. American Academy of Pediatrics.
- Sedas, S. (2015, June 14). A program to develop resiliency, self-confidence, intrinsic motivation, and a sense of purpose in young adults. 122nd ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Seattle, Washington.
IV. Additional Recommended Reading
- Maddux, J. E., Lopez, S., & Snyder, C. R. (2009). Self-Efficacy: The Power of Believing You Can. In The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology (2nd Edition). Oxford press.
- Barrett, R. (n.d.). The Barrett Model: The Seven Levels Model describes the evolutionary development of human consciousness. Barrett Values Center. https://www.valuescentre.com/mapping-values/barrett-model
- Chalofsky, N., & Kirshna, V. (2009). Meaningfulness, Commitment, and Engagement: The intersection of a deeper level of intrinsic motivation. In Advances in Developing Human Resources (Vol. 11, pp. 189–203).