Let's start this blog with something visual! Here's a quick animation we've made to define resilience and clear up any misconceptions of the word.

As people, one thing that we have in common is our experiences of both the good things and bad things that life brings.

This is, and always has been, part of the human experience. Life is sometimes magnificent, but it also has occasions which are far from what we would consider to be ideal.

Ultimately, a person’s life story is made increasingly interesting by the magnitude of highs and lows they face.

Whilst of course, having good and bad things happen to you is a commonality, the ways in which we respond to them may be a point of difference from one to another.

Again, a life story becomes great when you learn about the ways in which a person adapts and overcomes those adversities to find what they consider to be good once again.

Their ability to face life’s challenges and  grow beyond them.

Their resilience.

With each passing year, it becomes even more certain that the bad will never completely disappear, although it may look different as time moves along.

Some stresses are human heritage, whereas some have evolved or been birthed entirely by the modern world.

It is not all doom and gloom though. Actually, it is far from it.

Because whilst bad will never remove itself entirely from our lives and the timing of its appearances are beyond our control, we still have our hands on the wheel of how we can adjust, learn and continue moving when it arrives.

In this blog, we are going to dive deeper into why you should develop your ability to be resilient and the true impact of doing so.

Here’s a slight spoiler though… the impact expands far beyond yourself.

We will be looking at how it positively affects yourself, your relationships, and your teams.

Let’s get into it.

Impact On Self

As you might imagine, one of the most significant impacts that comes with developing your resilience happens within yourself.

With greater resilience comes a greater ability to handle life’s stresses, pressures, and challenges in a healthier and more effective way. Crucially, this enables us to maintain a more positive outlook on our lives and a more optimistic view of how we will develop in the future.

This does not mean that we are bulletproof to setback and disappointment. We will feel negative emotions even with greater resilience. However, we will be better equipped to recover and confident of finding our way through whatever comes our way.

With this, we can be more productive in life as not only could we be less hesitant about our actions in fear of soul-destroying failure, but we can seek positives in not so ideal situations to help us progress in our careers to achieve more.

Impact On Others And Relationships

When we are able to display increased levels of resilience, it is not just us that feels the benefits.

In the same way that greater resilience helps us to maintain healthier relationships with ourselves at our place in the world around us, it also helps us to build strength and depth in our relationships with others.

That’s because interpersonal stresses, conflicts, and challenges are inevitable. Therefore our ability to cope with these and resolve them in the most beneficial way possible is a better solution for everyone rather than becoming overwhelmed and giving up.

We are able to communicate effectively and openly, compromise and work our way through difficulties, which is helped by our improved resilience also giving us a more positive mindset, as well as more patience, understanding and compassion.

This awards us with stronger and more fulfilling relationships, build from trust, support, and respect.

Impact When It’s Developed In Teams

Developing resilience in teams can have a profound impact on both individual and team performance, and as a result, the overall success of a business.

There are the benefits we mentioned in the preceding section. These being that within each team there will be stronger, healthier peer relationships.

When those relationships are spread throughout a more resilient team, they’re equipped with greater problem-solving abilities, helping them to handle the potentially sudden and stressful challenges of their work environment and be more collaborative, productive, and innovative in resolving them.

In this ever-evolving world, it is crucial for businesses to adapt and to deal with changes, and when businesses are driven by resilient teams, they have the capability to be flexible to new circumstances and conditions.

In conclusion, it is clear that there are many widespread benefits of becoming more resilient, both personally and professionally. It is a fact of life that, unfortunately, we can often only become resilient by facing the hard times and persevering through them. The good news, though, is that resilience is indeed a skill. We can learn to be more resilient, to recover faster and better no matter what life throws at us, and to keep doing that with greater efficiency and confidence throughout our lives. So, whilst we cannot change the challenges of life, we can continue to be changed by them – for the better.

We have also made a helpful infographic to help you develop your resilience. It contains tips that you can action right now!

Thanks 

Natasha, Alex & The Excel Team

P.S. If you would like to discuss any of your learning & development challenges for 2023, call us on +44(0) 1628488 854.

About Excel Communications     

Excel Communications is a learning and development consultancy based near London in the U.K. For more than 30 years; we have been collaborating with clients across the globe.  

Partnering with Excel empowers you to evolve your people and business by fuelling a love for learning.   

We work with you to create unforgettably, customised learning experiences to achieve your vision of success and growth, with tangible results.   

View our case studies here.