What is resilience?

Resilience is the human capacity to meet adversity, setbacks and

trauma, and then recover from them in order to live life fully.
Resilient leaders have the ability to sustain their energy level
under pressure, to cope with disruptive changes and adapt. They
bounce back from setbacks.They also overcome major difficulties
without engaging in dysfunctional behavior or harming others.

Resilience is a crucial characteristic of high- performing leaders.

Leaders must cultivate it in themselves in order to advance and
thrive.They also carry the responsibility for helping to protect the
energy of the people in their teams. Leadership is sustainable
only if individuals and teams are able to consistently recover high
energy levels. During the event, Professor Kohlrieser asked the
audience: “How many of you have seen too much conflict in the
workplace? How many of you have observed people getting sick
or burning out?” A majority of audience members raised their
hands, emphasizing the importance of fostering healthier human
dynamics in the workplace.

The importance of resilience was brought into sharp relief here in

Switzerland when two high- profile executive scommitted suicide
over the summer of 2013. Both the CEO of Swisscom and the
CFO of Zürich Insurance ended their days, partly as a result of
toxic professional situations and working relationships.These men
left behind families and children.
Self-leadership

A stunning example of resilience is Nelson Mandela. He was sent

to prison as a young firebrand who believed in taking up violent
means of resistance when the justice system failed. Twenty-
seven years later, he came out advocating peace and
reconciliation. During his long confinement, Mandela mastered
the art of self-leadership. He took great inspiration in the
poem“Invictus,”written by William Ernest Henley, which ends with
the verses “I am the master of my fate/I am the captain of my
soul.”

It is often forgotten that one must learn to lead oneself before

being able to lead others successfully. Before take-off, flightat
tendants instruct that, in the event of a drop in the cabin’s air
pressure, parents should put on their own oxygen masks before
helping children with theirs. In a similar way, self-leadership
provides the backbone for the effective leadership of groups. A
high- performing leader needs to be physically, mentally and
emotionally functional– as well as resilient– in order to inspire and
guide others to achieve ambitious goals over the long term. The
journey to inspiring others starts with “How do I inspire myself?”
The bonds that sustain

Resilience is about the whole person. As Professor Kohlrieser

emphasized: “It is not enough to talk about the brain, we also
need to talk about the heart. When people at work close their
hearts and lose empathy, they lose an essential component of
their leadership.” High engagement in teams requires passion.

It also requires people to have an open heart, to express feelings

and to be curious about others. Leadership does not occur in an
emotional vacuum – thinking and feeling individuals are part of
the equation. That being said, it is critical to value both bonding
and emotional autonomy. Bonding is essential, but leaders should
avoid becoming emotionally or mentally hostage to others.

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Resilience and Grit
Resilience is an essential element of the human quality known as
grit. Gritty individuals work hard and persevere to achieve their
goals. They are unyielding in the face of hardship.They are also
extremely focused and loyal in their passions. They commit to
their area of interest for the long term–they are marathoners as
opposed to sprinters.The Grit Questionnaire, which participants in
the IMD Discovery Event took, evaluates these two main
elements: resilience to situations of failure and adversity, on the
one hand, and consistency in pursuing specific interests, on the
other. Research has shown that grit is highly predictive of success
in many endeavors, both professional and personal. Infact, grit
predicts how well people complete many types of tasks more
accurately than talent and I.Q. do.

During the event, participants were asked: “How much, between

0% and 100%, should you care about your employees?” One
attendee answered that 100% is risky; what if you need to fire this
person? Professor Kohlrieser explained that high- performing
leaders care enormously– they care100% for their team
members– however, they know where the boundaries to the
caring need to be. Specifically, they know that their role is not to
rescue people.

The importance of caring for others is frequently underestimated

compared to other leadership traits. In truth, even top managers
often fail because they are disconnected. They close their hearts,
which leads to low trust in their working relationships and low
engagement in the organizations they manage.Gallup studies
show that employee disengagement is widespread in Europe and
especially America. For individuals who do feel highly engaged at
work, the same studies show that trust-based relationships play a
central role.

A high capacity to form attachments and bond with others is one

of the pillars of resilience.Strong personal bonds give us the
confidence to take risks and aim for stretch goals. They are also
vital in supporting us as we recover from failure and
disappointment. Relationships based on trust are our “secure
bases.” They form a network of people we know we can count on,
both in our personal lives and at work.

The concept of a secure base goes beyond people. A secure

base can also be a goal, a place or even an object that allows us
to go out in the world, explore and experiment with confidence.
The core function of a secure base is to provide protection and
comfort as well as energy. For example, Nelson Mandela credits
his grandmother for enabling him to learn from his prison
experience. The poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley also
constituted a secure base for Mandela–a powerful reminder that
hardship and fear are no match for an“unconquerable soul.”Great
managers draw strength from their secure bases, and they in turn
become secure bases for others.
Coping with stress

How well leaders cope with stress helps to determine how

resilient they are overall. Studies have shown that stress is not, in
and of itself, physically harmful. Stress reactions such as a
pounding heart and fast breathing prepare our bodies to meet a
threat.They energize us to act. Infact,they are an integral part of
the “fight or flight” response that has allowed humans to survive
dangerous situations since the dawn of our species.

Good leaders need to experience a sense of urgency when their

projects are at stake. Momentary stress can help galvanize
individuals and teams at a critical juncture. In contrast, people
who never worry about anything cannot get their organizations to
perform at optimal levels. What is the right balance between too
much worry and not enough worry?The constructive approach is
to return as quickly as possible toa positive state. Chronic worry is
the most destructive – it saps the joy of living.
As a first step, it is useful to become aware of our stress levels
(see Figure 1). How long does it take us to move out of a bad
mood? Are we feeling exhausted or simply tired? Have we
noticed a lowered resistance to infection or recurring migraine
headaches? It is important that we heed our bodies’ distress
signals. Two participants shared experiences of reaching their
breaking point at work. One spoke about burnout and the other
about a debilitating stress-related health issue. They both felt they
had ignored their personal “alarm bells” when working under
sustained pressure. One of the main lessons they extracted from
their experiences is that obtaining results is important, but getting
stressed does not increase effectiveness or productivity. Another
lesson learned: when returning from stress leave, keep a sense of
humor.

Figure 1: Stress response

Physical symptoms are one of the four areas in which stress

manifests itself. Intellectual stress reactions include diminished
creativity, cynicism and negative thinking. People who experience
social stress reactions tend to stop seeing friends and returning
phone calls. They progressively isolate themselves. Lastly, people
who endure spiritual stress reactions lose a sense of meaning
and purpose.

To enhance their resilience, leaders need to identify the coping

mechanisms that allow them to relieve tension and regain their
positive energy. These stress management options include
“talking out” worries and concerns, doing something for others
and healthful eating.
Develop the skills to excel as a senior global leader 🌍

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leader, powerfully effective, delivering much greater impact at the personal,
professional levels and beyond with the IMD Executive MBA.

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Stress management options

Awareness of stress responses

Take responsibility for stress responses
Create clear amd specific goals
Modify destructive personality patterns
Physical exercise
Talk out worries, anxieties and concerns
Learn to let go – grieving what is gone
Avoid self-medication
Get enough rest
Balance work and recreation
Do something for others
Take one thing at a time – prioritze
Give in once in a while – flexibility
Learn relaxation – meditation, imagery, music, massage
Nutrition
Positive bonding – manage or stop negative relationships
Deal with emotions by awareness, expression and/or redirection
Learn to laugh
Make stress management part of a life-style and not just a
technique
Find, use and understand the meaning and purpose of what you
are doing.
Resilient Teams

Leaders also have a social and moral responsibility to consider

the resilience of others. They must become attuned tothe people
around them and learn torecognize when acolleague is under a
lot of stress. Does the person communicate a lack of meaning in
their work? Does he or she exhibit negativity, over-victimization or
continual anger?Social behaviors such as lateness and failing to
come to meetings are also clues.

Managers who notice these signs need to reach out to the

stressed person and engage in an honest discussion. Sometimes
the best way to initiate the conversation is to ask a question: “Is
everything all right? It appears you may be under a lot of stress. Is
there anything I can do to help you?” The questions should be
gentle and respectful.

Managers have a clear interest in working with vibrant and

energetic employees. To avoid stress becoming a performance
issue, leaders should take an active role in promoting resilience
and boosting energy in their teams.
The Alexander Technique

Rosa Luisa Rossi, an instructor in the Alexander Technique,

demonstrated to participants the benefit of improving posture and
movement habits. Simple changes in breathing, posture and
motion can relieve stress and tension. The way we hold our
heads at the top of our spine, for example, tends to become an
automatic and unconscious habit. However, since our heads
weigh between fi and seven kilos, any imbalance has
repercussions in several areas of the body. Over time, changing
our habitual patterns of movement allows us to avoid pain and
accumulated strain. This includes examining how we sit at our
computer and how we walk. She concluded that resilience is the
capacity to change rigid habits in both mind and body.
Positive Mindset

Cultivating a positive mind set is one of the keys to

resilience.Despite our brain’s innatetendency to identify
threats,we can consciously choose to strengthen certain thought
patterns over others.It is as if we had a flashlight in our minds that
we could shine in different directions.Our natural tendency is to
use this flashlight to look for danger and pain. However, we can
use our mind’s eye to refocus. In essence, positive and negative
mindsets are malleable.

The human brain is immensely powerful and complex: it holds

100 billion neurons, and each neuron is capable of 10,000
connections. The plasticity of our brain allows us to build or prune
neural circuits over our entire life spans. This means that as we
learn and grow, we rewire our brains. Emotional bonding, active
curiosity and deliberate practice are three essential ways to foster
new neural connections. It is also worth noting that the best way
to turn off our danger-seeking mental flashlight is to have a
secure base.

Another reason that a positive mindset enhances resilience is that

how we think about our stress affects how our bodies react to
stress.Recent scientific studies have shown that people who
experienced high stress in the previous year ran a sharply
increased risk of dying only if they viewed stress as harmful to
their health. Those who also reported high stress in the same time
period but did not view their stress as harmful were at no greater
risk of dying. In fact, they showed the lowest risk of death of
anyone in thestudy(including those who reported low stress).

Embracing a positive mindset does not mean ignoring our feelings

of grief. We must allow ourselves to grieve for what we’ve lost –
colleagues, friends, projects, dreams. Understanding loss and
failure are also fundamental to the recovery process. Setbacks
are inevitable in life, and we must learn to welcome the lessons
they yield. Extracting meaning from adversity allows us to move
on.
Beyond resilience: The joy of living
Building resilience is essential, but we must also remember that
the end goal is to find joy in life. We wish not just to survive, but
also to thrive. To this end, it is useful to examine the combination
of our organizational roles, professional roles and personal roles
to ensure that the different aspects of our identity are in balance
and that we are able to experience the joy of living.

Figure 3: Identity and life roles

https://www.imd.org/research-knowledge/leadership/articles/resilient-leadership-navigating-the-
pressures-of-modern-working-life/#:~:text=Resilient%20leaders%20have%20the%20ability,dysfunctional
%20behavior%20or%20harming%20others.

8 Steps to More Resilient Leadership

Overcome setbacks, increase wellbeing, and grow from challenging situations
with these 8 practices for resilient leadership.
How to Become a More Resilient Leader
Resilience is our ability to respond adaptively to challenges. It’s what helps us get back
up again, stronger, after meeting life’s hurdles, disappointments, and failures. It’s more
than simply bouncing back from adversity or not breaking in the face of hardship.
Resilient leadership also includes growth.

In the last few years, as we have all adapted to unprecedented change in our
professional and personal lives due to the global COVID pandemic, our resilience is
being now tested more than ever.

If you’re in a role managing others, it’s important that you are demonstrating resilient
leadership for your colleagues at work. A resilient leader is one who demonstrates the
ability to see failures as minor setbacks, with the tenacity to bounce back quickly and
turn challenges into opportunities.

In difficult times, your people are looking to you for support and courage; they’re looking
for you to set the direction and build alignment and commitment.

If you practice resilient leadership, you’ll project a positive outlook that will help others
maintain the emotional strength they need to commit to a shared vision, and the
courage to move forward and overcome setbacks.

Dive deeper into 8 practices that keep you healthy, focused, and functioning with our
book, Resilience That Works: Eight Practices for Leadership and Life.
If the COVID era is testing your ability to bounce back, there are steps you can take to
help you become a more resilient leader who can thrive. By modifying your thoughts
and actions, you can change your views, habits, and responses towards more resilient
leadership. Not only will that help to broaden your own outlook, but it will also inspire
your team to become more adaptable and resilient, too.

A Framework for More Resilient Leadership

As noted in our white paper, we believe that building resilience is a whole-self endeavor,
involving a leader’s body, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Our researchers developed
the following framework for building resilient leadership.

4 Core Areas of Resilient Leadership

 Physical resilience is the body’s capacity to respond to stressors with strength and
stamina, as well as recover from injury.
 Mental resilience is the ability to maintain or regain cognitive capacities that risk
degradation and to allow creativity to emerge.
 Emotional resilience centers on understanding, appreciating, and regulating emotions,
and consciously choosing feelings and responses, rather than simply automatically
reacting to the environment.
 Social resilience reflects an individual’s capacity to work with others to endure and
recover from stressors.

Each of these 4 areas is vital to helping a leader respond to challenging situations and
each contributes to an individual’s sense of flourishing, life satisfaction, and wellbeing.
It’s important to note that these 4 areas are interwoven, overlapping, and mutually
reinforcing — and resilient leadership itself is in the center, strengthened and reinforced
by each area.
8 Practices for Resilient Leadership

To become a more resilient leader and grow in each of the 4 core areas, focus on the
following 8 resilient leadership practices:

1. Increase Physical Activity.

In addition to lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol, we know that regular
exercise improves your ability to process stress and simultaneously makes your
leadership more resilient and effective. Learn more about how exercise is linked to
leadership effectiveness.
2. Get Enough Sleep.

Detaching from work and making time for the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep each
night is scientifically proven to strengthen resilient leadership. Learn more about how
sleep makes you a stronger leader.

3. Boost Mindfulness.

Whether you’re celebrating success or enduring hardship, make time for

mindfulness. Mindfulness fosters learning, new perspectives, and a degree of self-
awareness that can enhance your resilience and build resilient leadership.

Access Our Webinar!

Watch our webinar, Building Resilience and Leadership in the Context of Crisis & Telework, and
learn practical ways to enhance personal and team resilience and effectiveness during times of
crisis.

Access Webinar

4. Challenge Your Assumptions.

Learn to notice and challenge potentially faulty assumptions about what others are
thinking and doing — a process known as “cognitive reappraisal.” Our perceptions are
more likely to become distorted and/or irrational when we’re under stress; in many
cases, they become oversimplifications of the situation that may not be accurate. When
you challenge these assumptions, you can arrive at more productive (and less stressful)
beliefs. Learn more about the power of self-talk when leading through difficult times.

5. Savor the Sweet Things.

Deliberately enhance and prolong your positive moods, experiences, and emotions
by intentionally savoring them. Consciously savoring the good things in life is
important because neuroscience research suggests that our brains have a negativity
bias, so leaders must be intentional about reaching for positivity in order to enhance
resilient leadership. Learn more about how to maximize joy through savoring.

6. Practice Gratitude.

Take time to acknowledge and appreciate small things throughout your day. The more
purposeful you are about practicing gratitude, the more things will naturally trigger a
feeling of thankfulness. Giving thanks will actually make you a better leader.
7. Build Social Connections.

Develop and nurture a broad network of personal and professional

relationships. Of course, having strong relationship skills at work is important for
achieving business outcomes and meeting professional goals, but personal
relationships matter too, and can provide the types of support you need for the work-life
juggle. Both types of social connections are critical in helping you deal with hardships
and in developing perspective. Remember that strong social connections matter for your
building resilient leadership on your team, too.

8. Engage Your Senses, Including Touch.

When we think of engaging our senses, we often forget about our sense of touch. But
engaging in some types of physical contact can be a simple and effective way to reduce
anxiety and stress. Because touching at work is not as relevant for hybrid and remote
teams, and can be inappropriate and/or misunderstood in a work context, this resilience
practice is best implemented in your personal life, where you can share contact with
supportive people and snuggle with pets. Even brief positive touches, such as a fist
bump or a high-five, can contribute to increased wellbeing.

Together, these 8 resilient leadership practices will make you a happier, more
successful person, both as a leader at work and as an adaptable, future-ready
individual.

https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/8-steps-help-become-resilient/
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

7 min read
Resilient Leadership: 6 traits
of all successful leaders

WRITTEN BY

EHL Insights

Against the backdrop of uncertain markets, supply chain bottlenecks and the World Bank
forecast for global growth to decelerate in 2022 from 5.5.%, it is particularly important
for resilient leadership to become one of the most desired skills in the workplace.

Rethinking leadership development

As we emerge from the Covid crisis, businesses may be temped to cut spending on
leadership development in an effort to balance the books. However, it is at this time
more than ever that appropriately skilled leaders can play their part in righting the
ship. With the correct focus, smaller budgets need not necessarily cause development
quality to be sacrificed. Instead, letting go our grip of the way development has been
pursued in the past, we can embrace the reality of the present and the future.
Rethinking development will mean being open to different technological solutions
and affording soft skills the importance they deserve. Venturing into this new
world, executive coaching will play a significant role with new trends emerging to meet
the altered demand.
 Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to
become successful. - Zig Ziglar, American Author.

What are the main traits of resilient leaders?

According to Verywell Mind, resilience is what gives people the psychological strength
to cope with stress and hardship. It is the mental reservoir of strength that people are
able to call on in times of need to carry them through without falling apart.
Psychologists believe that resilient individuals are better able to handle adversity and
rebuild their lives after a struggle.

In a professional environment, leaders typically display resilience in

several ways:

 Instead of falling into despair or hiding from problems with unhealthy coping
strategies, resilient people face difficulties head-on.
 They are unflappable in the face of intense and stressful situations, even those
which are totally unexpected or out of the ordinary.
 They possess a high tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty, and are able to
quickly adapt to these new circumstances.
 They look after their own mental and physical wellbeing - knowing that they
need a good bill of health in order to perform at the optimal level.
 They are measured and confident in how they communicate at all times which
instills confidence in their leadership.
 They have a good handle on reality, both in terms of being able to put mistakes
or set-backs into perspective and also by setting achievable goals.

How can you develop resilient leadership

skills?
Fortunately, resilience is not innate (something that you are either born with or not), it's
a skill that can be developed. The following section aims to help leaders and aspiring
leaders to set up a professional development plan that can support them in becoming
more resilient in what is currently a turbulent and challenging environment.

1. VUCA-bility
2. Never stop learning
3. Hybrid team management
4. Be a an empathetic leader
 5. Fine-tune your communication style
6. Build a support network
7. Be realistically optimistic and set S.M.A.R.T goals
8. Delegate and streamline to optimise efficiency
9. Develop healthy habits inside and out of the workplace
10. Develop a professional development plan

Let us take a closer look at these all-important steps to become a resilient leader and
how to implement them.

Agility and resilience in VUCA times

The COVID-19 crisis has created the epitome of VUCA environments: volatility,
uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Under these circumstances, what's needed is
the ability to react quickly to change, demonstrating flexibility and agility in merging
planned activities with adapted ones or changing course entirely.

Resilient leaders demonstrate a positive attitude and the foresight to deal with the
expected and unexpected alike, often working to newly cropped budgets. With leaders
under pressure as a matter of course, they will need to be able to reprioritize at the
drop of a hat, without losing sight of the bigger picture. They will also need to
understand that sometimes the best leadership strategy is to admit to not having all
the answers, knowing when to bring in the experts to make sure all business decisions
are based on solid information and not cognitive leadership bias.

Become a continuous learner

According to Forbes, one of the 15 daily habits identified in great leaders is setting
aside a block of time each day to read. In the article Kamyar Shah, World Consulting
Group, explains: "Short of a disaster that has to be dealt with, that [reading] time is non-
negotiable and will stay off limits for any other activity".

The article goes on to discuss the importance of adopting a learning

mindset. "Intentionally adopting a learning mindset creates the space for openness and
curiosity and allows you to show up as a relentless learner. - Palena Neale,
Ph.D, unabridged.

Becoming a resilient leader requires you to be constantly evolving with the times, and
that includes your skill-set and your entire belief system. By consciously becoming
a lifelong learner thanks to reading, researching, taking up professional courses or
certificates or simply speaking to others, you're allowing yourself to grow and evolve
organically.
Managing hybrid teams
While eased restrictions may see many employees return to work, this widespread
period of working from home is likely to have a lasting impact. We expect to see
more companies accommodating remote work to various degrees and greater
flexibility as regards working hours. Add to this the growing significance of the gig
economy, and it is clear that managing employees will harbor new challenges post
COVID-19.

To make this work successfully while safeguarding productivity and efficiency, leaders
will need to know how to foster strong, cohesive teams, despite the obvious
gap between team members at the office and those working from home. Enabling
factors may include an adapted workplace featuring more communal work areas
rather than designated desk spaces or processes reimagined for virtual and hybrid
teams. All in all, this requires a totally new and more flexible leadership style.

MORE ARTICLES

Developing leadership skills: how to cultivate people centricity

How great organizations use purpose-driven leadership to motivate employees

Leadership development - how to best approach it?

Communicating with candor

At times like these, both the preconditions for business and the spectrum of realistic
business outcomes are subject to rapid change. This propels communication to the
forefront of operational activities, aiming to keep all stakeholders up to date. In both
internal and external communications, leaders are therefore called upon to
communicate effectively with different purposes and target audiences in mind.

The antidote to the overwhelming whirlwind of information and shifting circumstances

is simple: clear, candid, consistent, reliable, fact-based information. When anxiety
and cynicism loom large, there is no place for misleading half-truths or irresponsible
optimism. Much less an absence of information overall. This calls for a certain humility,
self-awareness, openness to feedback and a steady flow of communication both on
and offline.
EHL DEGREE PROGRAMS

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Whether you want to change careers, or go higher in the hospitality industry, our
programs are adapted to fit your career and learning needs
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Genuine relationships through empathy

Reawakening enthusiasm for daily business among frazzled, long-isolated employees
requires sensitivity and emotional intelligence. COVID-19 has left people in a state of
grief - figuratively if not literally - and in need of human connection and understanding.
Leaders must remain vigilant of the longer-term impact of lockdown, be this any
mental health issues that may have arisen or a loss of passion for the job.

Showing employees empathy may be as easy as listening with genuine interest. It may
involve offering encouragement or incentives. In some cases, it may include referring
employees for counselling or deciding to put a halt to a meeting to accommodate
staff’s need for a change of pace or some fresh air. Leaders who understand how to
cultivate meaningful relationships with their staff are more likely to be able to rally the
troops.

Build your support network

They say no man [or woman] is an island, meaning no-one is 100% self-sufficient and
the best leaders know they cannot achieve greatness alone. This section refers to more
than just teamwork skills. Of course, working as part of a team and organisation is a
essential skill at every level of business, however this refers in particular to a network
of individuals you entrust to be your support network. Becoming a resilient leader
doesn't mean you make your problems go away, it simply means you deal with
problems in a better way. Therefore sharing your problems with colleagues, friends, a
spouse or family member can help you to not only feel better about them, but also feel
like you have someone in your corner.

Furthermore, your support network can give you valuable insights and advice from a
range of alternative perspectives and you can use them a sounding board for new
ideas.
Be optimistic with realistic goals
Resilient leaders tend to have an air of confidence and optimism in everything they do,
and optimism is vital ingredient in leadership. Intel co-founder Robert Noyce, once
said that optimism is “an essential ingredient of innovation. How else can the individual
welcome change over security, adventure over staying in safe places?". When the macro-
economic environment is not looking great, resilient leaders have the power to look
beyond it and seek out the opportunities to thrive. They see the bigger picture, they
play the long-game and these leaders tend to have the ability to inspire those around
them to share that vision for the future.

However, to become a resilient leader this optimism on one hand is underpinned by

realism on the other. According to job platform, Indeed, setting tough but realistic
goals "ensures that both leaders and teams thrive by meeting their goals and feeling a
sense of accomplishment." They go on to explain that goals should be
S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-based).

Look for opportunities to increase efficiency

Feeling as though you have to do every task yourself is known as micromanagement -
this is not a trait of resilient leadership. Many leaders are resistant to delegation as
they fear losing control over important tasks, missing critical deadlines, seeing a
reduction in quality - but contrarily, helping team members to excel on their own is a
key element to them in turn enabling you to flourish as a leader.

Learning how to delegate is one of the most important skills any leader can acquire.
But not every task can be delegated, so knowing which tasks to delegate, when and to
whom is something that takes time to become adept at. Successful delegation frees
leaders from operational tasks which may be time consuming and/or repetitive in
order to put that time back into strategic thinking and other non-delegatable tasks.
However, simply dumping your own mundane tasks onto someone else's desk is not
delegating.

According to Mind Tools, by creating structure around your delegated tasks you can
still maintain some control:

 Discuss timelines and deadlines.

 Agree on a schedule of checkpoints at which you'll review project progress.
 Make adjustments as necessary.
 Take time to review all submitted work.
 Give credit to the right person so that their hard work is acknowledged.
Develop healthy rituals
The questions of work-life-balance has become increasingly prominent since the
beginning of the global health crisis, which brought to the fore how hybrid
working can help people develop a healthy lifestyle around their work. Whether it's
taking business calls whilst on a brisk morning walk or training for a marathon, resilient
leaders know they need to keep their body and mind in top condition to perform their
best in business.

According to this Forbes article on the daily habits of great leaders, integrating a daily
physical fitness routine prepares leaders for the mental and intellectual challenges they
face.

How to create a professional development

plan
The number one take away from this article is that real resilient leadership means
having an awareness that you're not a finished product yourself; there is always room
to learn, evolve and grow professionally. Benjamin Franklin once said: “an investment
in knowledge always pays the best interest.” Taking the time to create a professional
development plan gives structure to such growth and keeps you on track.

Firstly, what is a professional development plan (PDP)? According to the work

management platform, Asana, a PDP is "an ever-changing document that assesses your
current skill set, helps you set career goals, create strategies, and uncover resources that will
help you reach them."

In order to build your own professional development plan, you need to conduct a
self-assessment of your current professional situation, set your goals, and then map
out the steps that must be taken between in order to achieve them. Consider the
resources you will need to draw on, including executive education options and the
timeline you'll be working to. Remember, as resilient leadership is centered around
being adaptable to change, your PDP must also be an evolving document. Set aside
some time periodically to review and amend it as well as measure your progress to
date.

Business requires resilient leaders to weather inevitable storms; they will also need a
generous helping of human creativity and innovation. Sustainably breathing life back
into the economy will call for imaginative solutions driven by resilient leaders. So go
forth and get comfortable being uncomfortable.
https://hospitalityinsights.ehl.edu/resilient-leadership