And still it keeps coming! Back in March 2020, most of us had no idea that the coronavirus pandemic would go on and on. No matter what you expected, I suspect that it’s been longer than what you thought. Which is why, I am kicking off a new series of video tips today, this time giving leaders ideas and strategies on how they can build resiliency in their employees.
What is resiliency?
What is resilience? It’s the ability to withstand adversity and bounce back from difficult situations. The challenge of course has been that the difficult situations are coming like waves on the shoreline. Non-stop, relentless, and exhausting. Virtual work, hybrid work, restrictions, shutdowns, virus variants – beta, delta, omicron, and other Greek letters. The waves coming so constantly and persistently that there isn’t time to come up for air, take a breath, or rest. Which is why resiliency is so important. And why it is the key workplace skill for 2022 and beyond.
Here is what resiliency is not …
Now it’s important to note that being resilient does not mean that people don’t experience stress and emotional upheaval; rather, it means that they have the skills to recover from the first wave, and successfully survive, nay, thrive the next one, and the next one, and the next one.
Think about a raw egg. What happens when you drop a raw egg? Yup, it breaks and splatters all over.
Now think about a rubber ball? What happens when you drop a rubber ball? It bounces!
More rubber ball, and less raw egg
The key skill for 2022 and beyond is to be more a rubber ball than a raw egg. And as leaders, whatever you can do to build this skill in your employees will help you create teams that are motivated, productive and high-performing, no matter what challenges come their way.
So this year, every one or two weeks, I’ll offer up a video blog outlining one specific and practical technique you can use to build resiliency in your employees. One idea which, if you implement, will help you help your people become more rubber balls and less raw eggs. That will help your employees be highly-motivated, highly-productive, and high-performing, no matter what keeps coming.
I don’t yet know exactly how many of these video blogs I’ll do this year, but my plan is that by the end of 2022, you’ll have at least twenty, perhaps more, practical tools in your toolbox for building resiliency in your staff.
So I hope you’re excited – I certainly am – and that you’ll stay tuned for this Tools to build resiliency in your employees series that will start soon. In the meantime, I’d love to hear what you think about today’s post. Are you a more a rubber ball and less a raw egg? Or is it the other way around? What about your staff? Do tell, by adding a comment below.
P.S. Last year’s series was on Leading Hybrid and Virtual teams finished in December. You can see all 20 videos in the series here.