Building Resiliency: How to Thrive in Times of Change. Mary Lynn Pulley

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       AN IDEAS INTO ACTION GUIDEBOOK

      Building Resiliency

      How to Thrive in Times of Change

       IDEAS INTO ACTION GUIDEBOOKS

      Aimed at managers and executives who are concerned with their own and others’ development, each guidebook in this series gives specific advice on how to complete a developmental task or solve a leadership problem.

LEAD CONTRIBUTORS	Mary Lynn PulleyMichael Wakefield
CONTRIBUTOR	Ellen Van Velsor
GUIDEBOOK ADVISORY GROUP	Victoria A. GuthrieCynthia D. McCauleyRuss S. Moxley
DIRECTOR OF ASSESSMENTS, TOOLS, AND PUBLICATIONS	Sylvester Taylor
MANAGER, PUBLICATION DEVELOPMENT	Peter Scisco
WRITER	Rebecca Garau
DESIGN AND LAYOUT	Joanne Ferguson
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS	Laura J. GibsonChris Wilson, 29 & Company

      Copyright © 2001 Center for Creative Leadership.

      All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.

      CCL No. 413

      ISBN-13: 978-1-882197-67-5

      ISBN-10: 1-882197-67-4

      CENTER FOR CREATIVE LEADERSHIP

      WWW.CCL.ORG

       AN IDEAS INTO ACTION GUIDEBOOK

      Building Resiliency

      How to Thrive in Times of Change

      Mary Lynn Pulley and Michael Wakefield

       THE IDEAS INTO ACTION GUIDEBOOK SERIES

      This series of guidebooks draws on the practical knowledge that the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL^®) has generated in the course of more than thirty years of research and educational activity conducted in partnership with hundreds of thousands of managers and executives. Much of this knowledge is shared – in a way that is distinct from the typical university department, professional association, or consultancy. CCL is not simply a collection of individual experts, although the individual credentials of its staff are impressive; rather it is a community, with its members holding certain principles in common and working together to understand and generate practical responses to today’s leadership and organizational challenges.

      The purpose of the series is to provide managers with specific advice on how to complete a developmental task or solve a leadership challenge. In doing that, the series carries out CCL’s mission to advance the understanding, practice, and development of leadership for the benefit of society worldwide. We think you will find the Ideas Into Action Guidebooks an important addition to your leadership toolkit.

      Table of Contents

       What Is Resiliency?

       Why Is Resiliency Important?

       Becoming Resilient

       Resiliency Worksheet

       Suggested Readings

       Background

       Key Point Summary

       EXECUTIVE BRIEF

      It may be human nature to resist change – particularly when it’s delivered as a hardship, disappointment, or rejection. But by developing resiliency managers can not only survive change, but learn, grow, and thrive in it. In fact, for leaders, developing resiliency is critical. Resiliency helps managers deal with the pressures and uncertainties of being in charge in organizations today.

      This guidebook defines resiliency, explains why it’s important, and describes how you can develop your own store of resiliency. It focuses on nine developmental components that, taken together, create a sense of resiliency and increase your ability to handle the unknown and to view change – whether from disappointment or success – as an opportunity for development.

      What Is Resiliency?

      Resiliency provides the ability to recover quickly from change, hardship, or misfortune. It’s associated with elasticity, buoyancy, and adaptation. Resilient people demonstrate flexibility, durability, an attitude of optimism, and openness to learning. A lack of resilience is signaled by burnout, fatigue, malaise, depression, defensiveness, and cynicism.

      Resiliency is the product of a broad perspective. You can bolster it with a supportive network of professional and personal relationships, and use it to become comfortable with change. Resiliency taps into your ability to adapt even as it relies on your own knowledge about yourself – your values, confidence, and optimism. And it’s a key element to success on all levels and in all aspects of your life, from professional career development and leadership opportunities to the pursuit of personal goals and well-being.

      People often have the view that resiliency means being unflappable, strong, or unaffected. Most of us have heard the saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” But resiliency isn’t simply a matter of “toughing it out.” Bearing up under pressure is certainly part of being resilient, but just one part. Marathon runners, for example, have to be tough to endure a grueling 26-mile run, and yet it’s often their ability to handle the intangibles (weather, unknown competition, attitude about ability, a slight but nagging injury at the 20-mile marker) that puts them across the finish line and in the winner’s circle.

      Developing resiliency requires that you pay attention to the complexities of your experiences, listen to your emotions, and be willing to learn from disappointment as well as success.

       A Tale of Resilience

      Straight out of college, Matt began working for a national grocery chain. For 16 years, he did very well. Shortly after accepting a significant promotion, things began to change. Struggles with his new supervisor overshadowed his work for the next two years, whittling away at his confidence and job satisfaction. Eventually, his job was eliminated and he was laid off.

      Matt did not rush immediately into a rigorous job search. “I did a lot of self-evaluation in terms of where I was and how marketable I was … I tried to step back and not rush into anything,” he says. He spent more time with his family and began getting involved in the community and with his church.

      After a three-month break, Matt felt rejuvenated and began a diligent, focused process of networking and job searching. Through a series of contacts, he was offered a job in a related field. Over time, Matt began to see how much he learned from the loss of his job. On the work front, he realized he