Business, like life, can be a roller-coaster ride, full of ups and downs. This month we introduced the importance of the four intrapersonal resilience domains of physical, emotional, spiritual and mental. We will explore the emotional domain this week. What is emotional resilience? If you’re the type of person that can adapt quickly to setbacks, keep things in perspective and maintain a positive outlook, then you’re emotionally resilient.
Leaders deal with intense issues like lost business, under-performing employees and legal disputes. You can best navigate these leader challenges by having emotional resilience in your leader tool kit. This old metaphor is a good example; resilient people are like bamboo in a hurricane–they bend rather than break. Learn to regulate your emotions, maintain a positive outlook and become more self-aware to gain this emotional asset.
How to Build Emotional Resilience:
- Internal Locus of Control: If you believe you have control over what happens in your business or personal life, you have an internal locus of control. With this, you achieve less stress with a more realistic view of the world and can be proactive in dealing with stressors.
- Optimism: You see the positives in situations and use them to lead your team. Also, you believe there are brighter days ahead when it’s partly “cloudy” and keep moving forward.
- Support: You value your social support and surround yourself with supportive friends and family.
- Sense of Humor: You learn to laugh at life’s difficulties! Laughing at yourself is a tremendous asset when you can shift your perspective from seeing things from a position of fear to seeing things as a challenge.
- Perspective: Life’s experiences enable you to see beyond a failure or mistake and keep things in perspective.
- Self Talk: Pay attention to how you talk to yourself. These words have a big impact on how your feel about yourself.
The four domains of resiliency work together to build your leadership strength. I’d love to hear what works for you in building emotional resilience. Share your own methods with me, then I’ll include it in my blog later this month.