skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Change is a permanent feature of all organizations regardless of sector or size. However, the ability to take charge of change can be a key distinguishing feature of a successful organization. Change impacts all of us in different ways. How quickly we bounce back from change reflects our level of resilience. We can help our organization to become more resilient by leading change.
Three Characteristics of Resilient Organizations:
1. A Clear Purpose And Values
An organization must have a strategy to be successful. A clear purpose is what encourages individuals to get involved and actively participate in the activities and direction of the organization. Employees will then understand why they are there, what needs to be done, and most importantly - where they are going. A sense of purpose supported with clear values and principles must be known to everyone within the organization.
2. Prepare Employees For Change
Regular training of employees on how to understand and manage change is essential. Don't wait until the change is impacting your organization before preparing employees for change, or it may be too late.
3. Build Flexibility And Innovation
In times of change, innovation will allow an organization to break down boundaries, while flexibility will enable employees to prepare the organization for the future. These characteristics can also help us with personal resilience. Having a clear purpose, being prepared for change, and ensuring that you have the innovation to break down barriers will help you on your journey.
Until next time...
Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/
Resilient teams create effective visions of where they want to be. They have the ability to achieve their goals even in the face of adversity. They set clear goals associated with specific actions. Let's look at some of the characteristics of these teams.
Characteristics of Resilient Teams
Assess Their Own Work
Resilient teams encourage members to assess their own work using constructive feedback rather than by applying standard auditing techniques. Constructive feedback enables employees to honestly consider the quality of their work, think about what has been learned, and understand how they performed in relation to their own expectations. As this insight develops, employees can begin to evaluate their own work. Supervisors can guide and encourage discussion. Questions to ask might include, "What was easy or challenging? "What might be done differently next time? What can be learned from this situation that can be applied across the organization?" It is this sense of ownership that is the cornerstone of resilience and that resilient employees must practice.
Develop Their Own Standards
Resilient teams encourage members to develop their own standards. This ownership helps to avoid statements such as, "I didn't know that was the quality you wanted." It also means that teams won't be frustrated with mixed messages from management, and their efforts will be evaluated in a fully transparent way.
Stimulate A Culture Of Humor
Humor is a daily part of life in a working environment. In times of great change, there might be a tendency to stop opportunities for humor with the view that it distracts from the seriousness of the change at hand. However, being able to laugh within a team about mistakes, errors, and even change cuts tension and can lessen concern. It may not lessen the fear that some employees may have, but restricting humor takes away a natural release mechanism or coping strategy for some.
Set Their Own Rules
Having open discussions on rules invites employees to determine consequences and reflect on concepts like the reasons for rules and the instances when they should apply. Creating their own rules enables employees to develop responsibility and ownership for their own behavior, for one another, and for the team.
Opportunity To Make Choices
Facilitating choices encourages creativity within a team. It also reinforces ownership and the consequences of decisions.
Opportunities For Self Discovery
Being resilient requires an ability to look inside ourselves and acknowledge our feelings and thoughts. It also involves the capability to distance ourselves from these emotions and respond to the situation rather than the emotion.
Until next time...
Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/
Have you ever noticed how resilient leaders continually deliver results? We believe that all resilient individuals possess strong personal leadership competencies that allow them to successfully adapt to change and bounce back from adversity.
Leadership is a key competency of all resilient employees. It is important to remember that great leaders do not always have to hold a position of authority. Sometimes, it is their personal leadership characteristics that are clearly evident. These characteristics can be learned.
Five Characteristics of Resilient Leaders:
1. Stay Positive
Learning to stay positive is actually a simple decision to make. It is often non-verbal communication that inspires rather than the words themselves. You must have the confidence to believe in what you are proposing and make that evident to all those around you.
2. Stay Focused
The resilient individual knows what he/she wants and is committed to that focus. This focus allows us to cut through the baggage that can distract from reaching our goals.
3. Stay Flexible
Seek solutions rather than complain or blame. Suggest a positive action to take even if you are tempted to give up. Persistence is crucial. Draw on internal and external resources available. Keep in mind that other individuals hold the answers, so listening skills are important.
4. Stay Organized
The resilient individual uses structured approaches to managing ambiguity. Break situations into manageable pieces, then plan and take action.
5. Take Initiative
Change is a natural part of life. The resilient leader takes the initiative and responsibility for actions. It is persistence that delivers results.
Until next time...
Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/
The word resilience comes from the Latin resilio which means to turn around, to make a leap or to rebound. It is like an elastic band when it is stretched and stretched but then always returns to its initial shape.
One of the main criteria to why organizations succeed or fail, compete or crumble is how resilient their employees are. To be resilient, all of us have to develop excellent change leadership skills.
Embracing the characteristics of resilient children, promoting the personal traits of resilient leaders and recognizing the strengths and the qualities of resilient teams and organizations will help us to become more resilient.
What can you control?
A clear characteristic of resilient people is their capacity to achieve their goals even in the face of adversity. Many of the organizational changes that you will experience in your working life may not actually be initiated by you. In fact, many employees feel that they have little or no control over the change that impact directly on them. How often have you heard other employees say “what can I do?” Despite this, resilient individuals have an ability to bounce back while others feel helpless in their plight in life. Here’s the secret: resilient individuals shift the power by taking control. This is merely a shift in energy from a powerless “what can I do?” to an energized, “what can I do to make a difference?”
Think about what you CAN control, what you can influence, and what you cannot control. Focus on those things about the change that you CAN control.
Until next time...
Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/
Managing Resistance
When change occurs, people feel like victims or owners, losers or winners. They adopt an attitude of either resistance or resilience. In managing resistance, observe people and then ask yourself, "How am I reacting?" "How are they reacting?"
Focus on the reaction before you decide on a solution. This will help ensure that the solution is the right one. Act like a doctor: observe, diagnose, prescribe, and encourage practice for future retention of problems.
To Help Others Develop Resilience:
- Remain as positive as possible about the expected outcome
- Be prepared to address concerns
- Share as much information as possible
- Encourage employees to ask questions
- Make yourself visible and accessible
- Model resilient behavior for other employees
Until next time...
Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/
