Resilient Leadership Lessons for the Modern Workplace

Economic instability and global trade tensions are testing even the most experienced business leaders. Layer in evolving workplace expectations and rapidly advancing tech, and it’s no wonder why so many CEOs and senior executives are feeling overwhelmed. As we continue to navigate uncertain times, it’s important for leaders to think about how they can not only build stronger organizations but also improve their own capacity for resilient leadership. In this article, we explore five tips leaders can implement to improve their long-term leadership capabilities and develop sustainable careers.

5 Tips to Become a Resilient Leader

Here are five tips you can use to embrace resilient leadership, navigate challenging situations, and guide your organization successfully:

1. Focus on the Core Challenge

When we’re faced with an unexpected challenge, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. In uncertain situations, many leaders start to chip away at small problems and residual issues instead of addressing what’s causing these issues in the first place. For example, we’re hearing numerous stories about companies experiencing skill shortages, especially in the tech industry as the demand for AI and cybersecurity professionals skyrockets.

In an effort to increase their employee retention rates, we’ve seen company leaders unroll new mentorship programs, revamp their onboarding processes, and attempt to upskill their workforce before identifying why employees continue to leave their companies in the first place. While these may seem like excellent steps to take, if the real reason employees are leaving is because they feel underpaid, this issue needs to be resolved in tandem with new company programs and initiatives. These leaders are treating symptoms without fully understanding the heart of the issue.

Treating the symptoms instead of the root cause can also lead to burnout as a leader. If it feels like every time you put out a small fire, three more appear, it may be time to take a step back and reassess the situation. Consider what data you can collect from your colleagues and team members to help you identify the core challenge your organization faces. This may involve having one-on-one conversations or creating a survey that employees can fill out anonymously.

Then take the time to review the information you gather objectively. Look for trends and develop an action plan that addresses them. This can help you develop an effective game plan and become a more resilient leader.

Related: Navigating Uncertainty, Economic Shifts, and Consumer Trends With Agility

2. Reframe the Situation

Periods of disruption and volatility force us to think differently as entrepreneurs and leaders. As many of the systems we relied on even a few months ago become outdated, it is critical for us to take the time to objectively define the problem at hand and reframe it with a clear hypothesis to arrive at an innovative solution.

However, even the best leaders may find it challenging to accurately assess a situation that they’re emotionally invested in. When tension runs high, it’s important to get a second — or a third, or even a fourth — opinion. Consider which of your colleagues you can trust to provide honest and objective feedback during these times. You can have a conversation with a trusted third-party outside of your organization who may be able to assess the challenge with a fresh set of eyes.

Gathering input from multiple sources and actively listening to what other leaders in your organization have to say can help you reframe the situation and approach it with a more holistic view. This can help you develop a more strategic and well-rounded approach to lead your team through even the most critical challenges.

Related: Reach Your Long-Term Goals With The Three Horizon Framework

3. Collaborate with Key Thought Leaders

Ask yourself what your leadership network looks like — and whether it includes your competitors. Collaborating with thought leaders in your industry is an excellent way to expand your perspective and fuel innovative endeavors, but it requires you to let go of the fear that someone else might steal your ideas. While collaboration can be mutually beneficial and drive innovation forward, a competitive mindset often holds us back from reaching our full potential by convincing us we need to safeguard every idea we develop.

Building a network of key thought leaders in your industry can provide you with invaluable resources, advice, and perspectives. This is especially important as leaders across industries grapple with economic uncertainty, digital disruption, and workforce transformations. Being able to discuss these challenges candidly with other leaders can help you brainstorm ideas together and look for opportunities to lend each other support. For example, you might realize that temporarily pooling your resources with another leader in a similar industry can provide both of your organizations with the capabilities you need to meet consumer demand.

Looking for opportunities to connect with other business leaders, share feedback with each other, and combine your resources can help you cultivate a collaborative mindset that increases your speed to market and encourages open innovation.

4. Be Transparent

While your employees may not need to know about every small challenge you face throughout the course of your day, being strategically transparent during times of pressure can help you reduce stress. Communicating openly with key leaders on your team can empower them to hone their problem-solving skills and develop unique solutions to challenges that may benefit the entire organization.

Ask yourself what information your team needs to do their jobs effectively. For example, while you may not want to alert your entire team about upcoming layoffs, you may benefit from informing team members that you’re changing directions on a project if it has a direct effect on them. Use clear, concise language to convey these updates and provide them with the opportunity to ask questions.

If the challenge you’re facing causes disruption for your consumers, it’s also important to be honest with them. Whether you’re experiencing delayed deliveries or having difficulties sourcing raw materials, explain the situation briefly and focus on what solutions you’re working toward. Finally, thank your customers for their patience and understanding. Showing a little vulnerability and gratitude can go a long way to saving your organization’s reputation and building brand loyalty. Resilience and leadership go hand in hand — and transparency can build trust that lasts.

Related: The 7 Success Factors That Lead to Transformational Change

5. Set Clear Boundaries

The boundary between personal and professional life is often muddled for organizational leaders. With emails and Slack messages at our fingertips 24/7, it can be challenging to get away from work completely — and when business challenges escalate, it’s easy to see how this tendency to be available at all hours can get out of hand.

While being there for your team is important, it’s critical to establish boundaries around your personal time. Carving out space to spend with your loved ones, practice your faith, enjoy your hobbies, and simply be is not only healthy, it’s also essential for your long-term stability as a resilient leader. After all, you can’t continue to support your team or make key organizational decisions if you’re depleting yourself day after day.

Schedule your personal time by blocking off sections of your calendar and treating these events like meetings with yourself. Then, let the appropriate people on your team know when they can — and can’t — reach you. If you choose to make exceptions for emergencies, define what an emergency situation looks like and share this information with your team. After all, one person’s small fire may be another person’s code red.

Establishing these guidelines can help your team understand which situations can wait until the next morning and which situations require a phone call at 9:00 PM on a Friday — which can mean the difference between an evening filled with anxiety and a good night of sleep.

Action Items

Here are a few action items to help you reflect on your leadership capabilities and identify where there may be opportunities for you to become more resilient:

1. Consider what your leadership network looks like. Are you surrounding yourself with other thought leaders in your industry, or do you tend to shy away from developing relationships with potential competitors? What might be the benefits and drawbacks of your approach?
2. On a scale of one to ten, rate how open you are with your team. Do you have a process to help you determine when it’s appropriate to share information about challenges your organization is facing with them? If not, what could this type of process look like?
3. Think about the boundaries you’ve set in place to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Which boundaries do you have the hardest time enforcing? What steps could you take to hold yourself more accountable in the future?