“You beat a dog with a stick often enough, it soon becomes afraid of the stick”.
This was a seemingly innocent comment made in 1995 and my introduction to the working world…. words from my first boss that over time have taken to mean more than the obvious. It still has relevance in today’s world, with so many in Leadership positions using their influence and need to control as a way to run their businesses and teams.
In hindsight, this said more about where his mindset was than anything else…… coming from a challenged upbringing he had endured the hardships of a split family that was less than supportive. What it had taught him was Resilience…. the ability to keep making decisions and taking action to get a result, being accountable for the outcomes regardless of success and then owning the responsibility for taking more action if the results weren’t exactly what he was wanting.
To keep turning up when you or others don’t get the desired results takes courage and persistence… something that’s becoming a sought-after commodity in those new to the workforce.
So how do we Build Resilience in ourselves and our teams?
Resilience is developed through a number of avenues including:
- continuing to take action, regardless of the situation you find yourself in. The “dust yourself off and go again” attitude will help develop your ability to see “NO” more as “no… not yet, or no… just not that way”
- getting any result provides you with a learning opportunity… whether something works and are there ways to get even better results by tinkering with the current process
- accepting failure as a real possibility when you get outside your comfort zone, yet so too is the potential for even greater success. Expand your comfort zone by seeking out projects that stretch and challenge you
- doing the little 1% efforts to raise your standards. Multiple repeat 1% efforts will add up over time
- focussing on what really matters to you and why you care about it. This strengthens your purpose and helps you stay on track when challenges come up
- taking all feedback on board and not seeing the challenges raised as personal attacks on your skillset. Choosing to hear and use the feedback will bring better results… especially where it comes from those with extensive experience
So what does this all mean?
Going back to the quote from earlier, I chose to see this in a motivational context. By building my resilience, I was ensuring I would never share that mindset of my former boss. Whether it was part of a team or leading a team, I was going to be the leader who provided opportunities for team members to develop their resilience. Providing an environment supportive of taking action and being flexible with the results, encouraging the “Delegate and Support” method of developing team members and constantly stretching the comfort zone by taking on more challenging activities.
Sitting here today I’m confident my Resilience levels and Style of leadership reflects this…. and so can yours.
ABOUT PAUL FARMER
Paul Farmer is the Founder of Mentoris Group, a business focused on helping owners and business leaders get clarity and take ownership of their direction. After 20 years being part of the Corporate Strategy fabric in Australia and the UK, and embracing a significant fear of uncertainty, Paul left a high-profile role to become a Mentor, directing those in similar situations towards creating change and seeing what’s possible. A think outside the box CPA who sits on two Charity Boards, brings to the table the ability to challenge your status quo and embrace the “What could go right” mentality.
