Building Resilience: Thriving in a World of Constant Change and Uncertainty

Given the constant change and uncertainty in our world, how is any company supposed to stay in the game, let alone thrive?

The answer is resilience.

In business, “resilience” signifies more than just endurance or perseverance. It also means more than just “staying the course.” In fact, it often connotes something quite different. Resilience can mean going off-course if that’s where the prevailing winds are blowing, recognizing – and pursuing – new opportunities as they emerge. Likewise, it has to do with seeing change as an ally to be embraced, not an enemy to be defeated.

Of course, in business, resilience is not a quality one can simply demand from a group or bake into a company’s culture. It’s an individual emotional response that needs to be carefully nurtured and encouraged on a daily basis. Ways to create resilience and make it part of your company culture include:

Expressing empathy and compassion for people who are feeling frustrated, oppressed, burned out, and frustrated. This involves letting your people know we’re all dissatisfied at times – but this is just another challenge to be overcome.

Putting your focus on innovation instead of struggling to return things to the way they used to be.  The playing field continually shifts, the rules continually change, and you’re not going to win by playing an old game. As a result, it’s necessary to encourage and reward new ideas, even if they don’t conform to your set operational paradigm.

Focusing on the short-term. Business today is much like a maze where every twist and turn springs a new surprise and just getting to the next junction takes all your energy. In such a situation, long-term planning can be moot, it can also be a waste of resources. To foster resilience, set specific, short-term goals and adjust them as frequently as the changing ground game requires. Likewise, enjoying a series of daily victories, even minor ones, will energize your workforce, instilling a sense of optimism.

Fighting boredom and lack of employee engagement by actively shortening meetings, having meeting-free days, staging competitions, sharing success stories, celebrating top performers, and promoting open communication.

At Conover Consulting we have spent the last three decades helping companies build cultures that are open, honest, and resilient. I can help yours weather current realities and actually become better for it. Just contact me today at laura@conoverconsulting.com. And let’s show the world what resilience is really about.