What Are the 5 Pillars of Resilience and Why Are They Important at Work?
Employees are twice as motivated and productive if they’re resilient, according to research from AON. In fact, AON’s study found that 85 percent of employees who are resilient say they’re highly motivated at work. What’s more, resilience increases employees’ enthusiasm by 45 percent and concentration by 27 percent.
Whether it’s dealing with a tough boss, learning how to say no, or struggling to find your place as a new manager, we face difficulties at work almost every single day. But, to quote Rocky Balboa (out of character, I know), “It ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”
To be clear – I don’t condone violence (and to be extra clear, hitting things is definitely not one of the five pillars to resilience!). But, the Rocky Balboa metaphor stands: resilience to adversity is one of the most important parts of our lives. And when it comes to the workplace, we need to understand its place so we can keep moving forward and making progress, one foot in front of the other.
LinkedIn Learning’s 2021 Workplace Learning Report also identified “Resilience and Adaptability” as the most important skill.
So, without further ado, here are the five pillars of resilience, and why they’re important at work.
Definition of resilience
Resilience can be defined as the ability of an individual to endure, recover from, and navigate challenging situations or events in the workplace. It involves maintaining a positive mindset, being mentally flexible, adapting to change, and using personal strengths to overcome obstacles, ensuring long-term success and well-being.
Resilience is often used interchangeably with other terms, like adaptability and grit.
Grit (popularized by Angela Duckworth’s popular book) is one’s ability to commit and stick to long-term goals. It means not giving up and seeing things through to the end.
Adaptability is the ability to adjust to change when circumstances shift. This could involve learning new skills, changing your plans, or finding a different way to achieve your goals.
The five pillars of resilience
Let’s explore the five pillars of resilience that can empower you to navigate and thrive in the workplace.
1. Self care
Self-care is about prioritizing your physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing (and by prioritizing, we mean putting these things before work!). But, self-care is also a buzzword, so let’s unpack what self-care means in the context of being resilient.
Distress tolerance refers to your ability to manage and bounce back from difficult emotions. It's about being able to tolerate emotional distress without getting overwhelmed or resorting to unhealthy coping mechanisms.
Prioritizing self-care activities increases our distress tolerance.
And the larger our distress tolerance is, the more resilient we become.
As an example, Dr. Peter Attia talks about his distress tolerance in this way:
“I visualize my distress tolerance as a window that opens and closes vertically… My goals are to keep this window as wide as possible and to be very attentive to anything that might narrow it, even factors outside my control.” - Dr. Peter Attia
Increasing your distress tolerance means having awareness of what expands it and closes it. This may mean taking regular walks, eating healthy meals, and saying "no" when you need a breather.
For others, it also means getting adequate sleep and partaking in activities that promote relaxation and joy (sorry to say, but self-care isn't just bubble baths and Netflix marathons!).
Employees who practice self-care tend to have more energy and clarity, and they’re able to tackle challenges head on without becoming too stressed or overwhelmed.
In a nutshell, prioritizing self-care isn't just about pampering yourself — it's about investing in your wellbeing so you can show up as your best self at work and beyond.
2. Self awareness and emotional intelligence
According to the World Economic Forum’s 2020 Future of Jobs report, emotional intelligence is one of the 10 most in-demand skills at work, and it will remain this way until at least 2025.
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence are the foundations of resilience, and these skills empower you to understand your strengths, weaknesses, and emotional triggers. By recognizing your responses to stress, you can develop strategies to better manage it when it bubbles to the surface.
This pillar of resilience is all about knowing yourself inside and out. When you're self-aware, you can catch yourself before stress takes over and deal with challenges like a pro. Imagine knowing exactly what makes you tick, and uncovering how to use that knowledge to help you shine at work!
How to build self-awareness and emotional intelligence:
Take the CliftonStrengths (StrengthsFinders) Assessment
This research-backed assessment has more than 70 years of data and insights to support its use. Learn your natural talents, blind spots, and how you can be successful and unlock your potential by leveraging what you’re naturally good at.
Take the Enneagram Assessment
The Enneagram assessment is a personality typing tool that dives into your core motivations, fears, and desires. By understanding your Enneagram type, you gain insights into why you do what you do.
Take the EQ-i 2.0 Assessment
The EQ-i 2.0 Assessment is a tool designed to measure your emotional intelligence (EQ). EQ refers to your ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to achieve your goals.
3. Mindfulness
Mindfulness is your ticket to pressing pause and soaking up the present moment. It's about tuning in to what's happening right now, which can seriously zap stress and boost your focus.
Picture this: Instead of zoning out during meetings, you're fully present, absorbing every detail. Sounds pretty awesome, right? It’s no surprise that practicing mindfulness can lead to improved concentration, better decision-making, and a more positive attitude. For example, if you take a few minutes each day for mindful breathing, you’re better equipped to respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively, fostering a more harmonious and efficient workplace.
Here are a few apps to help you build mindfulness:
Calm: Looking for calming audio sounds to help you be more mindful? Calm offers flexible audio prompts and a music section that you can take on your walks to go.
Headspace: A very popular meditation app with solution-based, structured audio courses on mindfulness, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, grief, and way more.
Spotify: Look up any meditation track or binaural beats track. Feeling stressed and like your window of tolerance is low after a meeting? Go on a walk, turn the volume up, and focus on observing all the objects on your walk.
4. Social connections and positive relationships
Building strong bonds with your coworkers isn't just good for morale – it's essential for resilience. Think about it: when you're surrounded by supportive colleagues, you can tackle anything that comes your way. Whether it's brainstorming ideas together or having a laugh during lunch breaks, positive relationships make the daily grind a whole lot sweeter.
Gallup studies show that having a best friend at work “is strongly linked to business outcomes” and that “work friends provide essential social and emotional support”.
And that’s before we consider the impact that working remotely has had on our mental health and feelings of loneliness: One pre-pandemic study showed that remote work increased loneliness by 67%, according to organizational psychologist Lynn Holdsworth. As outlined by the CDC:
Social isolation can increase a person’s risk of premature death from all causes.
Loneliness was associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide.
Investing in more positive relationships at work can literally improve your mental health and physical health. “Work besties” can help you navigate workplace challenges and find support when needed. Something as simple as regularly engaging in team-building activities or saying “yes” to that Slack Donut coffee invite can help you feel more connected and valued at work, leading to increased motivation and, ergo, more resilience.
Don’t want to participate in company events? That’s okay too! Make sure you prioritize building social connections outside of work then. Take up a hobby, calendarize plans with your friends and family, and just be around people!
5. Purpose and meaning
Having a clear sense of purpose is arguably the most important pillar of resilience today. This is especially true given that 70 percent of employees said that their sense of purpose is defined by their work.
All of us “are” what we do, and when you truly understand how your role contributes to the broader goals not only of your organization, but for society as a whole, you’ll likely remain engaged and committed to your work.
This sense of purpose can help you persevere through challenges and maintain a positive outlook. For instance, an employee who sees their work as contributing to a larger mission is more likely to stick with it, even during the tough times.
Long story short: When you know your "why," you're unstoppable, and your purpose will drive your passion and dedication, which is essential for long-term success.
Want to find your purpose? We encourage our clients to think about their IKIGAI:
What you’re good at
What you enjoy
What the world needs
What the world is willing to pay you for
Why investing in resilience pays off for employees
At the end of the day, the workplace will always present obstacles! But, it’s resilience to these obstacles that equips you with the tools to endure, recover, and excel.
By investing in these pillars, you’re not just improving your professional life, you’re also enhancing your overall mental and physical wellbeing, and improving your resilience to challenges you may face outside of the workplace. So, I encourage each of you to embrace resilience and discover how this essential skill can help you to keep moving forward, one step at a time.
To learn more about handling resilience and becoming a great leader, explore my workshops or new manager training program. Our training program includes an essential module on how to build resilience in uncertain startup environments.