Laura Knill

							                    Developing
                     resilience
                       at work
                            Laura Knill, Msc, C Psychol
                                laura.knill@btinternet.com
                    Ashley Dowlen, Msc, Chartered MCIPD
                                  ashley@mistral.co.uk




Developing resilience at work                                1
Defining resilience

Resilience is the process of adapting
well to turbulence, adversity,
uncertainty and ambiguity




Developing resilience at work           2
Defining resilience
  • a key capability for those who wish to succeed
    under sustained pressure
  • the ability to focus on capabilities, assets and
    positive attributes.
  • the capacity to learn and grow from challenges
    and become stronger and more effective as a
    result.
  • enhanced through skills that can be learned
    and developed by almost anyone.
  • something you do more than something you
    have.
  • also the ability to recover quickly from setbacks
Developing resilience at work                           3
Defining resilience

    Resilience is an interactive product
    of attitudes, thoughts, approaches,
    behaviours and perhaps physiology
    that helps you deal better with
    adversity and recover more quickly
    following it


Developing resilience at work          4
Resilience – key capabilities
     1.     Emotional maturity
     2.     Problem solving
     3.     Self belief
     4.     Realistic optimism
     5.     Proactive flexibility
     6.     Interpersonal competence
     7.     Dependable networks
     8.     Purpose and perspective

Developing resilience at work          5
Resilience – key capabilities




Developing resilience at work   6
Programme outline
Self awareness skills
     A-T-E
     Thinking clearly
     Identifying core beliefs and values
Development Skills
     Questioning and modifying core beliefs and values
     Putting it in perspective
     Calming and focusing
     Looking after yourself
     Inner strengths (Self confidence, self esteem, self concept)
     Paradoxical abilities
     Positive uncertainty
     Personal development plan
Developing resilience at work                                       7
Paradoxical abilities
•   Optimism and pessimism
•   Extroverted and introverted
•   Thoughtful and outgoing
•   Serious and humorous
•   Hardworking and lazy
•   Self-confident and self-critical


Developing resilience at work          8
          Highly resilient people have
           counterbalanced qualities
                       Creative    and   Analytical
                        Serious    and   Playful
                      Sensitive    and   Tough
                      Cautious     and   Trusting
                      Unselfish    and   Selfish
           Self-appreciating       and   Self-critical
                     Impulsive     and   thoughtful
                          Stable   and   Unpredictable
                     Optimistic    and   Pessimistic
                      Outgoing     and   Introspective

Developing resilience at work                            9
Positive uncertainty
A creative approach to decision making requires two attitudes

• Accept uncertainty
• Be positive about uncertainty
It comprises four paradoxical principles

1. Be focused and flexible about what you want

2. Be aware and wary about what you know

3. Be objective and optimistic about what you
   believe

4. Be practical and intuitive about what you do
Developing resilience at work                                   10
Positive uncertainty
1. Be focused and flexible about what you want
     Know what you want but don’t be sure
     Treat goals as hypotheses
     Balance achieving goals with discovering them
2. Be aware and wary about what you know
     Knowledge is power and ignorance is bliss
     Treat memory as enemy
     Balance using information with imagination
3. Be objective and optimistic about what you believe
     Reality is in the eye and the I of the beholder
     Treat beliefs as prophecy
     Balance reality testing with wishful thinking
4. Be practical and intuitive about what you do
     Learn to plan and plan to learn
     Treat intuition as real
     Balance responding to change with causing change
Developing resilience at work                           11