If you didn’t get a chance to join us for our Resilient Now webinar with Dr Wayne Hammond we have summarized some of the main points covered of what creates a resilient business even in COVID. This was an incredible webinar filled with strategies to help you become more than resilient, but to flourish during this time.
A resilient person is:
1, Adaptabile
We need to evolve who we are and what we have to offer right now. Then comes the task of connecting the dots of this to those we serve. The needs of people are always changing – even before COVID. If you’re not evolving what you offer and how it meets the needs of those you serve you will find yourself floundering.
Are you adaptable?
A resilient person and business is constantly opening themselves to new ways of doing things and shifts quickly. They don’t wait for the crisis to become overwhelming before they act.
What holds people back from being able to be adaptable is often their mindset: their perception of who they are and how they understand the world around them. Think about a time that was very challenging for you. You will find through reflection that the times you grew, changed, and became the most resilient were not times of success but when things were challenging. Challenging times force us to think about what we are doing and how we can make changes to reach more people and create the transformational change we want.
4 mindsets people live in:
- Survival: People who experience trauma or hurt. They don’t trust so they go through their day reactive.
- Managing mindset: People who are looking around, picking and choosing what they engage in.
- Striving mindset: People who look like they are doing well on the outside, but only engage in things that guarantee success. They don’t like to step out of their comfort zone.
- Thriving mindset: People who are willing to risk, fail, learn. They create safety, trust, adaptable, and a desire to improve.
It’s moments like this that shape us. Disruption forces us to adapt, but fear incapacitates people. When we think, “I wish I would have done this”, we think from the past and are held hostage to it.
The barriers to developing a resilient mindset are:
- personal beliefs
- our responses to FEAR
- Negative scripts
- personal control
It’s more about asking:
“What can I do now?”
“What if?”
“What might be?”
Questions like this allow us to be open to new experiences, which then leads us to point #2.
Stepping out of your comfort zone is the only way you can grow
The only way you can shift the way you think about yourself is through what you experience.
When we step out, even if we fail, if we LEARN something we are more willing to try something again. You don’t shift your mindset because someone tells you do to it, you shift your mindset through experience.
To those who are anxious right now about the uncertainty of COVID: What do you have to lose? Weigh the pros and cons: what’s going to happen if you don’t do anything? What if we try something?
Light bulbs come on when we try new things. Reframe your situation: what if we try this…?
When you try something and step out and see things change, rewires your brain and creates new neuro-pathways in the brain. It’s not about knowing things, it’s about doing things. We rewire our brains by putting knowledge to EXPERIENCE.
Courage isn’t about not being afraid, it’s about doing things that are right even when you are afraid. Everyone has potential for courage. When were the times you experienced the most growth? Who were the people in your life? What were they saying to you? How were you thinking? It’s those qualities you want to bring back to the surface again. ‘
Your goal is to be 70% into the unknown if you want to create a resilient mindset. This means stepping out into the unfamiliar a lot! When you are outside your comfort zone is when you establish who you are as a person: your strengths, values, and your ability to thrive.
It is important for leaders to realize you can’t teach anything you’re not practicing.
Are you engaging in your own resilience?
Building capacity to thrive?
If you are its going to change your language and the way you connect with people.
You look through 3 lenses to figure out who you are:
- Through the lease of your past mistakes and experiences
- what others expect and say
- of “what might be” – potential possibilities
You are in control of your own journey. Others can influence it, but you control how they influence. Fear can be: forgetting everything and run OR face everything and rise. The choice is yours. Fear can be a catalyst for growth!
We need to embrace fear and step out into the learning zone and try things. Learn to navigate challenges. Learning things and actually knowing how to do things are two very different things. Our culture places a high value on people KNOWING things, but they may not be able to practice it. Getting out of our comfort zone takes us from just knowing information to transformation through experience.
Connect, inspire, build, empower your people
Your starting point with anyone is to establish trust and safety. If people feel safe with you, they will listen to what you have to offer. If they don’t, or they feel they are going to be judged or evaluated, they will only respond to you in ways they think you want to hear.
Ask yourself, “Do I know my people’s story? Do I know what’s important to them?
Do I know their passions are?”
When we acknowledge and value our people, they feel inspired that they are important and and the value they are bringing to our team.
Trust and safety is the foundation, which leads to inspired and receptive people which then provides opportunities for them to step out of their comfort zone. Your job as a leader is to create a culture where people can be curious, try, learn, fail, and learn from mistakes, and share all these learnings with you in order to get better.You want your people to take ownership and have confidence that what they are doing matters. In order to do this, it is important to be clear about your expectations and vision and how their strengths fit in with that.
Ask yourself, “Have I empowered the people around me?”
A resilient person has relationships that empower. Ask yourself, “Who is in my inner circle who will cheer me on when I need encouragement? Who will share optimism with me in my ideas? Guidance?”
Who is in your inner circle? Whoever you have allowed into your inner circle determines who you are. Make a list of 10 people who you can trust. Those who which who are adding to your life and evaluate the ones who are not.
Tips for leaders right now to create connection
- create space for people to connect and create rituals around that.
- be available to provide help and resources.
- people need to know they are going to be cared for and you will be responsive.
- they need to know someone will be there to listen to understand not just listen to direct.
The simpler it is the more effective it is.
We’ve taken the “human’ out of our organizations: the face to face connection with opportunity to be real, to talk about things that are important, as opposed to the facade: “I can’t let you see my weakness.”
When we are open, it creates safety and trust on the team. We have to let people know we are human too. Together is the only way we will get through this. We have to get back to valuing the human relationships. This is what people connect with, not our programs. Research shows that the companies who value the human have the most dedicated people.
If you want to learn to be more open and vulnerable with your team:
– Start small
– Start with your language
- Look people in the eye
- Stop, take time to listen
- Affirm people when you see them doing what you want them to do
- Celebrate successes
Being a leader is 80% relationship 20% expertise.
When people feel valued in the little things they do, they will show up for the big things you want them to do. When they don’t feel valued, or even further, feel threatened or nervous, the brain suffers.
The amygdala in our brain is constantly scanning our environment for threats. We scan 3-4 times a second. If we scan even a non verbal we see as a threat, we shut down for the next 2-3 hours emotionally. We are incapacitated.
How do you go from the amygdala to the limbic system where people start to feel safe? Creating trust and safety and valuing people. Saying things like, “Thank you”, “You are welcome here.” This creates a feel-good chemical called oxytocin that even goes to the heart.
The brain is connected to the heart through a number of neuro pathways.
Don’t allow labels and limitations to DEFINE yourself and your employees because that’s not who they are. They have so much potential and it’s our job to help people become the best version of who they are.
Move from resilience to flourishing by joining us at our Rise Strong Online Conference. Featuring speakers like, Katherine Emberly President of Shaw Communications, Karen Young CEO United Way Calgary, James McCera CEO Calgary Food Bank, Graham Sherman Founder Tool Shed Beer, Gil Carlos Owner Bro ‘kin Yolk.
You will learn tools and strategies to rise strong right now. Free registration here
