Resilience: A Definition

Resilience is the capacity for an individual to

deal effectively with stressors, pressures
and challenges and perform to the best of
their abilities irrespective of the
circumstances in which they find
themselves.
It is referred to by some as the ability to
bounce back.

More Resiliency Definitions

The process of coping with disruptive, stressful,
or challenging life events in a way that provides
the individual with additional protective and
coping skills. (Richardson, Neiger, Jensen, &
Krumpfer, 1996)
The process of self-righting and growth.
(Higgins, 1994)
The capacity to bounce back, withstand
hardships, and to repair yourself. (Wolin &
Wolin, 1993)

Public-sector organisations have

benefited from a huge injection of
funding in recent years, yet with
budgets being radically reduced
while citizen expectations continue
to rise, public sector leaders will be
challenged to demonstrate a set of
skills and insights that will be
unfamiliar.
Leadership at all levels, Deloitte 2010

Adversity is the test of effective

leadership resilient leaders are
defined by what they do during the
worst of times, not the best of times.
Resilient leaders re-energise,
motivate and inspire optimism in
others.

LEADERSHIP QUALITIES FRAMEWORK (LQF)

Vision (Understanding Personal & Organisational Needs)

Action (Plan to Facilitate Resiliency)

+
=

Resilient Leadership in Turbulent Times

Importance of Vision
It is important to note that it is not the
coping skills that individuals have or do not
have that are important. What counts are the
coping skills that individuals believe they
have or do not

(Ray, 2004)

Clear Goals and Actions

Making the goals and actions of the
organisation and senior leadership clear to
staff
Communicate clearly key activities, issues
and developments
Develop policies that facilitate
transparency and openness.

Resilient Response
Adversi
ty

Return to
Comfort Zone
Survival

Dysfunctional
Response
Multiple Ways to Respond to
Adversity

Stress can be defined as the

psychological and physiological
reaction that occurs when people
perceive an imbalance between the
level of demand placed upon them
and their capacity to meet that
demand.
Stressors - the factors which people
report as causing stress e.g. workload
etc

Individual Stress Response

Physical
Emotional
Cognitive
Behavioral
Spiritual / life-view

How can you enhance your

personal resilience?

Immediate Coping Skills

Draw on your network of colleagues
and friends for support
Relaxation techniques deep breathing
Yoga or Tai Chi
Massage
Health promoting activities walking,
sports etc
Laughter
Developing your problem-solving skills
Sleep

Do:

Dont:

Stay calm

Expect others to calm

down because you
ask them to

Listen

Agree whenever
Seek resolution until
appropriate and when others are calm
you can
Walk away
Focus positively on
the issues
Get upset, threaten
or be defensive
Reframe
Shut down
Build a bridge
Address unacceptable
behaviour

Fundamental Questions
During turbulent times, assess:
What is the impact of the changes on me
personally?
What is my organisation going through?
What are my team going through?
What does this mean?
What can I do?

Resilient Leaders

Have a positive attitude a glass half full

Look for opportunities in problems
Find their power in every situation
They are agile and adaptable to the
situation
Overcome difficulties
Learn from mistakes

Weathering the Storm:

Resilient Leadership

Emotional

Political

Intelligence

Savvy

17

Emotional
Intelligence

Political Savvy

The skill of
identifying,
assessing and
managing
your own
emotions and
the impact
your
behaviour has

The art of
understanding
your
organisation
and its
partners well,
and using that
understanding
to get things

Unless transition occurs,

change will not work

transition starts with an ending

the neutral zone is the no-mans-land between old
reality and new
transitions end with a new beginning

ENDING
NEUTRAL
ZONE
BEGINNING

Key Principles for Resilient

Leadership

Acting with integrity

Communicating effectively
Effective decision making
Persevering and taking responsibility for your
actions
Building a positive culture for resilience
Developing personal behavioural strategies
and using stress management as a competitive
advantage.