We all know that being resilient is vital to getting through tough times, but growing your resilience often seems like a challenge in an of itself. In a piece in the Harvard Business Review, Ron Carucci, co-founder and managing partner at the organizational and leadership consulting firm Navalent, argues that getting to know yourself better is a key part of the process.
Carucci cites an intriguing study to support his strategy. Researchers from Bethel and Pfeiffer University observed 167 “leaders” (defined in the study as “an adult who had at least one year of supervisory experience leading at least one other individual”) across the globe and determined that those who possessed a significant amount of self-knowledge coped best with challenges. Based on these findings, Carucci suggests that people who can recognize their strengths, weaknesses and beliefs are more likely to be resilient in the face of conflict than those who did not.
To help business leaders (or anyone going through a tough time, for that matter) master the art of resilience, Carucci created a list of ideas to help you strengthen your understanding of yourself at work. His recommendations included pushing back on unrealistic goals or deadlines and taking a “honest stock of your skills,” he wrote. Carucci noted that while it’s important to be realistic about what you can accomplish, leaders shouldn’t sell themselves short. “Leaders with strong self-knowledge — who have a clear understanding of their skills and shortcomings, their frustrations, and their core principles — are more likely to sustain those needed reserves of resilience to thrive through adversity and change,” Carucci wrote.
Read Carucci’s full list of recommendations in the Harvard Business Review.