There’s often a crushing moment when you’re trekking up a mountain peak. Near the summit, the slope is frequently so steep you can only see the wall in front of you. Your legs scream in pain as you gasp for what little oxygen is in the air.
Then, it happens. You take what you think is the final step to the top – and your heart drops: You’ve only crested a false summit. Your ultimate goal can barely be seen in the distance.
The despair can be devasting. Many hikers quit; others are high-risk for injury because they’re emotionally spent.
Those who succeed do so because they developed resilience before they reached the false summit; not after.
Which begs the question: Is your team actively developing the requisite resilience now that it will need when:
- authorities extend stay-at-home orders? Or,
- corporate takes greater measures to save costs (and you say good-bye to friends)? Or,
- project timelines are moved back…but not far enough? Or,
- your customers disappear?
Here are three step to build resiliency and strengthen resolve:
- As a team, define what healthy resiliency is and why it’s important.
- Identify where and how you’ve already developed this essential quality.
- Outline an actionable plan to develop individual and collective resiliency moving forward.
Bonus: Regularly celebrate those who demonstrate resiliency.
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on: The peak to which your team is hiking is many months away and covers dark valleys of uncertainty. The resiliency your team will need lies in the quality of your collaborative leadership today.
You’ve got this.
P.S. Mike Taigman and the First Watch team are doing some brilliant work in supporting our frontline, first-responders in strengthening their resiliency during the pandemic. Their methods can be utilized in any occupation.
Hat tip: M.H.
