How to Be More Resilient at Work

I was voted Teachers’ Pet in my high school yearbook. Well, Matthew Silberstein and me. Suffice it to say, I hope I’m more fun to hang out with today than I was back then. Just don’t ask my kids for input on that.

I remember this well-meaning teacher telling me once, “Rachel, you’re bound for great things. But also ... you need to be a little more chill.”

So, I did what any Teachers’ Pet would do—I thanked him for the advice, pulled out my notebook, and waited for instruction on how. Because no one followed instructions better than I did.

But as it turns out, that was all he had for me.

What is resilience?

Have you ever been told to be more of a thing that didn’t seem part of your nature? I’d have loved to be more chill, but just hearing advice to be so was wholly unhelpful. In the workplace, resilience is the new chill. We all know we’re supposed to be it—whatever it is—but some of us need a roadmap to guide us.

So, what exactly is resilience, and how can we get there?

I’ve got some answers, so just chill.

Before we dive into the how, let’s begin with the what. We all know it when we see it, but how are leaders, in particular, defining resilience? A 2015 Harvard Business Review piece describes resilience as “ …the ability to recover from setbacks, adapt well to change, and keep going in the face of adversity.”

How to be more resilient

So, what are some actions we can take to enhance our ability to recover, adapt, and keep on going? Here are some of my faves.

Manage your energy

As psychologist and writer Barry Winbolt said, “Resilience is not a characteristic gifted to some individuals and not others… resilience is not a passive quality, but an active process.”  Leaning into change—understanding its reasons and impact, for example—requires energy on our part. Continuing to pursue a goal in the face of a setback requires stamina. We need fuel in the tank.

“If you’re trying to build resilience at work,” said researcher Shawn Achor in a 2016 Harvard Business Review piece, “you need adequate internal and external recovery periods... Our brains need a rest as much as our bodies do.”

Resilience isn’t a state of being. It’s an active process.

So, how do we get the recovery we need? In Episode 581,...

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