Business Journals Leadership Trust is an invite-only network of influential business leaders, executives and entrepreneurs in your community. Original article posted here.
No matter what industry you’re in, your business is bound to go through changing tides. Some businesses are prepared to weather the storms, while others get swept away in the undercurrent.
In order to weather the storms of the business industry, leaders must develop strategies and practices that will help them become more resilient and ready to adapt to change. Here, 13 members of Business Journals Leadership Trust discuss several strategies and practices that business leaders can adapt to become more resilient.
Focus on the events you can control.
Leaders need to remember that resilience is not built or honed in the “good” times. It’s a trait that is nurtured and later provides leadership with the ability to lean in during times of adversity. A successful strategy for us is to distinguish between the events we can control and those that we can’t, focusing on the former and not the latter. – Dave Doherty, Digi-Key
Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Stop taking yourself so seriously. Leaders must learn to give themselves a break when making decisions. We often don’t know the exact thing to do until we take a risk and it pays off! – Tiffany Wallace, Dagen Personnel, LLC
Look at challenges as opportunities.
See a challenge as an opportunity. Perspective is often the distinguishing factor between failure and success. During challenging times, if I confront the obstacle from the point of view of opportunity rather than seeing it as a hindrance to my success, I am able to not only solve the issue at hand, but also come out on the other side stronger and more equipped to tackle larger hurdles in the future. – Sharon Olson, Olson Wealth Group LLC
Cross-train and upskill to empower your team.
You need to cross-train and upskill your teams while empowering them. This will make your operations more resilient when the unexpected occurs. Upskilling and empowering helps individuals as well as the organization. For redundant manual tasks and activities, you need to supplement your teams with the use of process automation. – Steve Wang, Protiviti
Build feedback opportunities into meetings.
Resilience comes from experience and practice. One way to foster resilience is to build feedback opportunities for employees into your regular meeting schedule and communications. Providing an open mic opportunity at staff meetings can be effective, but a comment box, anonymous email account or survey may encourage employees uncomfortable sharing in a group to bring their concerns to light. – Kent Lewis, Anvil Media, Inc.
Abandon lamentation and accept change.
Practice resiliency by abandoning lamentation. Since resiliency is the ability to bounce back after a setback, great leaders spend little time complaining in disappointment over failed expectations. They anticipate obstacles and diversions, then quickly accept a new set of conditions and re-chart the course to success by asking, “From these new coordinates, how do we get where we’re going?” – Lori Daugherty, Ascellus
Listen more than you speak.
Listen more than you speak, especially to two specific groups: your team and your clients. If you listen to these two groups who are doing the work and purchasing your product or service, you’ll be able to lay the groundwork to become more resilient and thrive as a business. – Eric Moraczewski, NMBL Strategies
Practice self-care through meditation, therapy.
Leaders must practice self-care. This is not just getting your nails done or relaxing with a friend. Those may be things that help refill your tank, but we need to do the real work like meditating, going to therapy and making peace with a loved one. We must deeply care for ourselves and develop strategies when we are feeling strong so that when we actually need a boost, we already have the tools handy. – Crystal Lazar, Habitat for Humanity East & Central Pasco County
Learn to believe in yourself.
The best way to become more resilient is to improve your self-confidence. Learn to believe in yourself and become your biggest supporter. If you believe in yourself and trust yourself, you will feel more confident in your decisions during difficult times. – Zane Stevens, Protea Financial
Focus on what’s next.
Don’t dwell on what happened, but instead focus on what’s next. Sports stars often talk about having a short memory. They absolutely need to forget the mistake, error or mishap or it will hamper their performance going forward. We are no different in the business world. When you run into a setback, immediately shift your focus to what you can do next to get back on track. – Gary Braun, Pivotal Advisors, LLC
Give yourself a daily hour of gratitude.
Try the hour of power. Every day, I wake before dawn to spend an hour giving gratitude for all that I am and have. This resets my intentions, personal and professional, refocuses my goals and helps me remember my “why” — or the vital reason that drives my calling. This one practice has single handedly transformed my life and business. By starting each day with grace, I’m centered, ready to serve my clients and face whatever comes. – Faizun Kamal, The Franchise Pros
Don’t take success or failure too heavily.
Be flexible and allow yourself and your team to ride the waves of the business’s ebbs and flows. Understand that you can do better, and continue the momentum when you do not take successes or failures too heavily. Nothing is ever as good or bad as it seems. – Jack Smith, Fortuna Business Management Consulting
Develop a growth mindset.
Establish a growth mindset. It allows you to embrace the challenges and changes that come. When we reach an obstacle, we can learn from it and, in time, overcome it. Being a champ of growth is one of the best ways you can help others on your team as a leader. – Scott Scully, Abstrakt Marketing Group
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