What is resilience? More importantly, what does it mean to your client? And can resilience be learned? Jenny Campbell explores these questions, among others, in her research into this much-debated topic
Resilience is a hot topic. But is it a good thing? On the one hand, it’s seen as a negative trait that lands people in trouble1; on the other, the mental toughness measurement tool, MTQ48, assumes an ability to perform under stress is a good thing.
At the heart of this debate is the definition of resilience. I undertook some research, published in 20092, based on 25 interviews with leaders, and with the support of two psychologists. The results were surprising. Resilience:
- can be learned
- is not confidence
- is both being able to control and letting go of the need to control
- includes speed of bounceback
- includes a full recovery of energy
- includes pacing so that a third of an individual’s energy is used for sensing, prioritising and refreshing.
My work has led to The Resilience Engine©. This is a combination of doing and being:
- Doing (or the fuel) where perspective, pacing and replenishment takes place; and
- Being (the latent powerpack) where there is an inner set of attitudes and beliefs, and a meaningful purpose for one’s life.
I have had the privilege of discussing resilience with many people who have experienced challenges – personally, professionally or in extremes, such as surviving Nazism. I now see that the language of The Resilience Engine is meaningful, but it’s not the end game. Rather, it offers a door for people to enter into the meaning of their own resilience.
Organisational benefits?
My interviewees indicated that the most important factor in an organisation’s resilience is the resilience of the top team – above processes, structures, culture. Can this be true? Is it credible? And what is team resilience?
To explore these questions I am creating a research consortium (see box Team Resilience Research Consortium), working with senior coaches and consultants and their clients. Pioneer Investments has been through the first part of the research process, with significant results (see case study). I also share early insights.
The Resilience Engine
- What is resilience?
Instead of resilience being simply bounceback, there seems to be increasing levels of resilience that involve speed of bounceback, learning and application of the learning in multiple contexts, and energy recovery, or even increase. I have created a definition to help describe this.
- What allows this to happen?
The Resilience Engine tries to answer this. The engine is made up of an inner source of fuel and an outer force – the ‘being’ elements of the resilient individual – along with a driving motor, The Adaptive Capacity, that gives fuel to these more stable elements. The Adaptive Capacity is about
pro-actively doing.
The Internal Resources
‘2+7+1’ formula
‘2’ Beliefs –in one’s own judgement and in a purpose for oneself;
‘7’ Attitudes – takes full responsibility for self; forgives; self-deprecating humour; optimistic and pragmatic; independent and needs others;
‘1’ complete self-acceptance.
It’s a rich mix. It doesn’t follow the popular assumption that resilience is essentially confidence; instead confidence is a byproduct.
The External Goal Focus
This outcome focus is so clear that the individual will solve all problems in the way of the goal. The real mindset is the openness to solutions from unexpected places.
The Adaptive Capacity
This is a sophisticated blend of Perspective, Pacing and Supporting Oneself, or self- refreshing; those with the highest resilience do this without fail.
The most difficult element is Pacing. It helps an individual manage their load. The result is a steady-state use of energy (a surprising average of 65 per cent) rather than peaks and troughs. It requires ruthless prioritisation and the ability to say no – often.
Coaching examples
- Your client suffers from interrupted sleep
This senior leader is smart, organised and driven, yet she is often woken up by ‘to-do’ items.
Resilience questions
- Encourage mindfulness
How do you see this resistance? How might you embrace what your mind needs to tell you?
- Encourage perspective
How do you generate different options; who can help you extend these? How often do you connect with very different ways of thinking? How regularly do you seek external input?
- Support a realistic view of capacity
How do you view your expectations of yourself vs your capacity to do what you set out to do?
- Your client has had a breakdown
This senior executive had a breakdown, and is now considering a return to work. His confidence is dented, and the organisation is unsure if he can perform.
Resilience questions
- Encourage self-acceptance
What in this model resonates with you? What do you think you need to learn in order to accept this experience? What can you put in place to ensure you get the support you need? What change can you make that will help you change your levels of anxiety/stress?
- Your client is not performing
This young leader in the corporate sector is smart and able, works long hours, yet is not performing, and is frustrated in career advancement.
Resilience questions
- Encourage better adaptive capacity How do you refresh yourself?
How do you maintain perspective?
- Encourage meaningful connection
What do you value about work? How does that connect with what is important to the organisation? What conditions do you need to be able to perform well at work?
Team resilience – insights
Team resilience comes from leverage. It can increase or decrease according to the boss’s resilience, connectedness with the boss’s boss, organisational culture and groundedness in the market.
Positive leverage may include:
- Team trust3.
- Team members having authority inside and outside the team.
- Clear, bonding team purpose.
- Distinct collective capability in learning, perspective and pacing.
- Consistency in execution of strategy – alignment of values, vision, communication and action.
- Groundedness in the market, so team vision is simple and sound – even if the strategy has to change.
| Team Resilience Research Consortium |
Independent coaches Anne Archer, Alyse Ashton, Clare McNamara, Angela Philips, Bob Licznerski, Euan Cowie In-house coaches Used a hybrid model of internal/external: Orla Scott (Pioneer Investments) The Team Resilience Research is sponsored by The Academy of Executive Coaching. To get involved, as a client or coach, email: jenny.campbell@lifetimeswork.com
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Pioneer Investments – a case study
Pioneer Investments, owned by UniCredit, was the first client to join the Team Resilience Research programme. As a mid-sized investment player, it experienced the recent market turmoil, with external pressures around its market position, and an internal review about viability under UniCredit ownership.
Two years on, and having survived cost-cutting and refocusing, the Multi Asset team felt the need to reflect and learn from their experience, to become re-energised, and to ensure they wouldn’t suffer the same fatigue with any future setback.
The programme’s enquiry process was adopted. This involved: team contracting around the work, two sessions for each individual to reflect on their own resilience plus that of the team, input from 14 stakeholders, and two team sense-making sessions.
Pioneer is already experiencing the following impact:
- Commitment from each member to improve and sustain their own resilience
- Team commitment to support the boss in new ways of working with higher autonomy
- An increased collective leadership and strategic capability through debate – leading to higher leverage of the team’s assets, and a first step towards collective learning
- The creation of a ‘team glue’ around expertise in managing assets
- Commitment to stakeholders to be simplified
- Awareness of the need for groundedness in the market to aid organisational resilience.
Team head, Matteo Germano, says: “I had been looking for a distinctive and relevant development intervention for my senior team, who had undertaken several senior level development courses previously. When I explored the concept of the Resilience Engine and the various leverage factors, I knew that this had the capacity to take both myself and my team to a different level of performance. The various interventions with the team were insightful, practical and are continuing to build capacity to deal with ongoing challenges as our business moves forward. It has also given the team both a language and a series of concepts with which to share our experiences.”
Orla Scott, HR sponsor and programme co-researcher, says: “This project has come at exactly the right time for the Multi Asset team. It allowed them the opportunity to put in place practical mechanisms to build resilience capacity, but also to reflect on their shared learning and strengthen personal ability to cope with ongoing strategic changes in an insightful and resourceful way.”
References
1 T Casserley and D Megginson, Learning from Burnout, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2009
2 J Campbell, Personal Resilience and its links to Organisational Resilience, lifetimeswork, 2009
3 P M Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, John Wiley & Sons, 2002