What is a Resilient Attitude?

In today’s modern business world, the gap between success and failure has perhaps never been so small.

One minute everything can be going exceptionally well – a motivated workforce, orders flooding in, productivity booming, and the future looking rosy and bright.

But then in a flash, everything can change.

Factors completely out of our control – a global health pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis, or international conflicts to name but a few – can come from nowhere and catch us completely off guard with the challenges and uncertainty they all bring.

So, there’s no doubt of the importance of being able to respond to these challenges in an optimistic and effective way – and emerge re-energised, re-motivated, and ready and able to face the future.

In the 1997 ‘one-hit wonder’ song Tubthumping, the band Chumbawamba proclaims: “I get knocked down, but I get up again, you are never going to keep me down.”

And inspirational South African human rights campaigner Nelson Mandela once famously said: “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

So, what exactly is this ‘magic tool’ which allows us to positively and enthusiastically Spring Forward from the jaws of certain uncertainty, doom, and despair.

In the workplace, it can quite simply be referred to as a ‘resilient attitude.’

It’s an active process that’s not about denying setbacks or challenges – but instead involves using available resources, strengths, and skills to work through the situation.

Focusing too much on what you can’t control is disempowering.

Resilience is the cure for this by helping you shift your focus away from problems and towards opportunities. This is where resilience becomes an attitude and, to be clear, attitude is at the heart of Resilience.

A fundamental aspect of this is belief that you have some personal control. How do you shift focus in the face of unexpected setbacks? This starts with how you explain the situation to yourself.

How do you shift focus in the moment? Photo thisisengineering Unsplash

According to prominent US psychologist and educator Martin Seligman, resilience is based on our belief that:

·       Adversity is temporary – the challenge will pass;

·       The challenge doesn’t affect every aspect of my life;

·       I can make changes to get back on track.

Defined in various dictionaries as the "ability to recover from misfortune" resilience encompasses coping, adapting, and springing forward from life's knockdowns.

Losing a parent in childhood, going through abuse, not being able to complete formal education; or in adulthood, losing a job, losing a home, the list is endless.

But importantly, if we look back in life, we've been there before - consciously or unconsciously practicing being resilient.

In fact, many of us get stronger with each knockdown – and all of us already possesses some degree of resilience.

Look out for the next three blogs in this series – “How do you build a resilient attitude,” Why is a resilient attitude important,” and “What are the benefits of a resilient attitude.”

If you need further information about this approach, or any other resilience topic, please contact russell@theresiliencecoach.co.uk.