how to create a resilient organization and resilient people

8/14/2019 How To Create A Resilient Organization And Resilient People

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How To Create A Resilient

Organization And Resilient People

by

Eileen McDargh CSP, CPAE


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How to Create A Resilient Organization and Resilient People Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE

McDargh Communications. All rights in all media reserved. Page 2

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How To Create A Resilient Organization And Resilient PeopleChallenging times require a different skill set than when the world moves along at a comfortable,

non-problem pace. This e-book outlines what leaders and individuals can do to survive and

thrive in the chaos of change.

What Leaders Can Do

The first skill to master in creating a resilient organization and helping it move through the

challenge stage is to hold learning conversations. Learning conversations are any form of

inquiry that focuses on questions to advance the possibility for new thinking, innovation,

breakthrough insights and deeper understanding.

These conversations are jump-started by the following questions:

Where do we think we are now?

What do others say of us?

How would you define the challenge facing us (the department, the team, theorganization)?

Based on the responses, managers might then ask:

What is worthwhile to achieve?

What are we going to have to do to accomplish that?

Who needs and who wants to be involved in making that happen?

That last question is very important: Who needs and who wants to be involved? This is not thetime to coerce effort in trying to engage people who take part because of obligation rather than

desire. Invite people who have the need and the desire to be involved. Managers often try toentice people who are black holes in the organization. These are the folks whose behaviors and

attitudes speak these words: Been there, done that. Dont count on me. Dont waste valuable

management time. You want results, some forward momentum that by its very nature andvisibility gives hope and direction to the rest of the organization.

When an organization is facing a challenge situation and a manager has limited time, its betterto work with people who are turned on by the challenge and ready to come to grips with the

great shuddering. Malcolm Gladwell, author ofThe Tipping Point, demonstrates that it takes a

relatively small percentage of people with the right makeup and the right message to make

change happen.


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The next set of management skills can be outlined by using the word RESILIENT as an

acronym.

R Rethink scenarios.

Create scenes that extend the range of responses to the challenge phase. Scenarios can be craftedfrom these questions: Whats possible, given where we are now? Whats probable? What would

we prefer? The most powerful question is, What would we prefer to have happen? The

greatest value is to aim action at what the organization would prefer rather than just accept theprobable.

E Explore options.

Challenge those sacred cows. Ask what would happen if you blew everything up and startedfresh. It puts everything on the tableabsolutely everythingfrom the practical to theimpractical, from the profound to the profane. This should be done in conversation, not in

truncated e-mail.

S Show up.

Be physically present. The research is now telling us employees believe management cares for

them and is more trustworthy when they can be physically seen! There is power in getting awayfrom the computer, the chair and taking your body and soul to all parts of the organization.

Heres an example. Im on a plane that has hit a challenge phase while en route to New Orleans.Not only are we hit by a freak snowstorm in Denver but now the plane is rolling all over the sky

with horrid thunderstorms. The pilot keeps us constantly informed as to our progress and

maneuvers, finally proclaiming, I am an old pilot, not a bold pilot, and we are notgoing to NewOrleans. All the passengers begin to cheer.

Then we land at a closed airport in Alabama, and the pilot announces, I am going to talk to

ground operations. I want you all to sit in this plane, and I will be back. He puts on his hat andwalks through the plane, touching people on the shoulder as he walks by.

That pilot, by his constant auditory presence and, later, his physical presence had everyone on

the plane cheering for him. Im sure there were quite a number of people like me who literallylost thousands of dollars because we did not show up in New Orleans when we were supposed

to. But it didnt matter. Ifeltresilient because the pilot was. It was the power of physicalpresence, the power of his voice and his person that, in a crisis, a challenge situation, brought

people along. Thats what I mean by showing up.


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I Initiate.

Empowerment is fine, yet in a challenge situation, a manager can best help people seepossibilities by initiating some action; not huge actions but rather something that employees

recognize as valuable forward progress.

L Listen.

Listening is an extraordinarily complex ability that we are not born with. Rather, its a skill that

can be taught and nurtured. We listen on two levelscontent and intent. Content is what you

say; intent is the why. The more I understand the why behind what is said, the more I can ask the

right kinds of questions and the deeper our conversation and, therefore, our relationship.Resilient organizations are comprised of individuals who feel the supported by their

relationships.

I Innovate.

Try new things, and give them enough time to percolate. Too many organizations suffer fromidea du jour. In short order, they decide a new idea doesnt work and then start on something

else. To prevent idea du jour, determine with your team the criteria that will be used to assess the

idea and the time frame. Everyone will then know why an idea changes.

E Encourage small wins.

When people are under stress and tension, they need encouragement throughout the process, not

just at the end. Remember when your toddler was starting to walk. You did not wait until the

child came all the way across the room to you before you said, Wonderful, daughter! She took

one step and fell smack down on her face and you picked that baby up, loved her and said,Daddy is so proud of you! Try it again, sweetie. Were no different. When we are trying new

behaviors, when we are trying new processes, managers need to acknowledge small wins. You

might say, You got this much done. Bravo! Now, lets see if you can take the next step.Theres a saying, A pat on the back and a kick in the rear end are pretty close as far as the

geography of the body, but theyre miles apart in results. We all need some form of approval.

N Nurture a nimble infrastructure.

Think of this as the way we do things around here. Either the organization is so complex andunwieldy that no one can get a quick response or an organization has cut itself so far that people

are too overwhelmed to act. Work becomes an anchor that drags people down and prevents

nimbleness. To move through a challenge, flexibility of movement is critical


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T Take action. Think long-term. Thanks (express it).

Yes, I spelled RESILIENT with three Ts, but each of these is a critical self-explanatory skill.Managers just need to practice them. Let me stress the last TThanks. When an

organization is going through a tremendous amount of change and challenge phase, people needto know their efforts are noticed and appreciated. Dont skip this important step.

What Individuals Can Do

The word resiliency also serves as an acronym for individual skills.

R Reframe the event.

Reframing is a term used by Martin Seligman in his book,Learned Optimism. It means to

literally change the conversation in your head. Instead of saying, This man is a jerk, and Illnever be able to work with him, reframe it. Take the activating event and ask yourself, What is

a more powerful statement that I could say to myself? For example, you might say, Its always

powerful to learn. I have an opportunity to figure out how to work with someone that no one canstand. Seligmans extensive research showed that people could be taught to reframe. This key

resilience skill means learning to see a situation with new eyes.

E Exercise physically and mentally.

This is a practical skill. When we feel the world is crazy and we dont have coping skills, thefastest way to get in control is to use our bodies. Exercise is a tremendous vehicle for literally

blowing off steam as well as for letting us feel some kind of results. Exercise enhances the

endorphins within our system and endorphins promote healing. It doesnt matter whether itstaking a walk or riding a bicycle, theres something about physical movement that actually

allows us to calm down and to feel more in control.

S Something ventured; something gained.

Try something new. Ask yourself, When this happens, what is my normal way of responding? If

this is my normal way of responding, what is a new way in which I could respond?

It is a biological truth that the organism with the greatest number of responses to any given

situation, to any given catalyst, is the organism that survives. The more I can come up withdifferent responsesrather than doing the same things the same waythe better the chances are

I can survive. Thats what resilience is all aboutsurviving and moving to the next level.


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I Interrogate the past.

All of us have gone through situations or events in which, at the time, we thought we couldntmake it. But we did make it. We need to remember the things weve gone through. What

strengths did you have that allowed you to get through them? You still have those very samestrengths now. The problem is that we forget we have them.

L Laugh.

I dont know how we get through difficult situations without laughter. There was a home for sale

in Los Angelesit had been damaged by one of the earthquakeswhere the sign read, For

sale. Some assembly required. Now theres a resilient spirit. If I literally have fun with whatsgoing on, make it silly, make it stupid, sit and laugh, I can say, Okay, now whats really

important here? Laughter is powerful.

What would happen if we would create organizations in which we laugh? I think a wonderful

model is Southwest Airlines. They have created such a culture and they are also the most

profitable airline flying today. I am convinced it has resilient people inside and is a resilientorganization because its people know how to laugh.

I Involve others.

Ask for help. Find people whose wisdom you can borrow. Seligmans new book documents that

the people who seem to be the happiest are not the people who have the most money or the

greatest success. They are the people who have a circle of family and friends whom they careabout and who care about them. Being a loner does not increase the chances for resilience.

E Engage in action.

What can you accept, adapt, avoid or amend? This is another way to reframe so you have some

sense of control. Do you remember the Iran hostage crisis? One of the prisoners would say, whenthe guard entered his cell, Would you please have a seat? That prisoner later said of the

experience, I had no control over the full situation, but I could control my response in that cell.

N Now.

The very use of the word now implies that up until this very instant, things were different.Often, we beat ourselves up for our failure to handle a situation, for our lack of finding a way out

of the challenge stage. By paying attention to the conversation in our head, we reframe our past

and give ourselves a running start in the present. Here are some examples:


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What's Your Organization's Resiliency Quotient (RQ)?

Using the following scale, put a numerical value by each statement

Numerical Scale: 1. Never 2. A few times 3. Frequently 4. Without a doubt

1. Employees readily talk about how much they like working here. ____________

2. Management is known for asking employees their opinions ____________

3. Management is known for listening to employees' opinions ____________

4. Training is available for all employees on a regular basis ____________

5. Managers are acknowledged for helping employees advance in skill level ____________

6. The organization has flexible work hours ____________

7. People are treated as "whole people" with lives outside work. ____________

8. Management is willing to try new things ____________

9. Management readily shares current information about the health of the company ____________

10. Managers have superb communication skills ____________

11. The organization walks its talk ____________

12. Managers encourage innovation and creativity ____________

13. We trust senior management to act in the best interest of all stakeholders ____________

14. We are told bad news as well as good news ____________

15. Our company's product/service is meaningful and valuable in the marketplace ____________

16. We are known for carefully listening to the marketplace, the customers, trends and the competition.

____________


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Score:

52-64: What a Rock! It's an organization of heroes!

42-52: Good resiliency intentions. See what areas might need improvement. What can YOU do?

32-41: Ummm. The organization needs help. Who needs to be involved? In what areas can you get the

fastest, most visible results? Is this a training issue? Where is your sphere of influence. Build from there.

Might need some outside help.

31- 15: Remember the dinosaurs? Bounce back they did NOT.


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Resource List

Books:

Authentic Happiness by Martin SeligmanGood Company. Caring as Fiercely as You Compete by Hal Rosenbluth and Diane McFerrin

Peters

"It" Happens! How to Become Change-Resilient by Julie M. SmithLeadership When the Heats On by Danny Cox

Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman

Managing at the Speed of Change by Daryl OConnerResilience: The Power to Bounce Back when the Going Gets Tough by Frederic Flach

The Art of Resilience: 100 Paths to Wisdom and Strength in an Uncertain World by Carol

Orsborn

The Change Monster: The Human Forces That Fuel or Foil Corporate Transformation andChange by Jean Daniel Duck.The Customer Comes Second: Put Your People First and Watch 'em Kick Butt

by Hal Rosenbluth and Diane McFerrin PetersThe Resilient Spirit by Eileen McDargh.

Work For A Living and Still Be Free To Live by Eileen McDargh.

Websites:

StressDiagnosis.com

The Resiliency CenterThe Resilient Spirit

Articles:

Brainpower For The Overwhelmed

Getting In Control

Reclaiming Our Resilient SpiritTips for Relighting After Burnout: Energizing Self and Others

Tough Times Demand Resilient Leaders


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About The Author

Since beginning her consulting and training practice in 1980,

Eileen has become noted for her ability to speak the truth withclarity, wisdom, humor and compassion. Long-standing

clients and repeat engagements attest to her commitment tomake a difference in minds, hearts and spirits of organizationsand individuals.

She draws upon practical business know-how, life's

experiences and years of consulting to major national andinternational organizations that have ranged from global

pharmaceuticals to the US Armed Forces, from health careassociations to religious institutions. Executive Excellencemagazine selected her as one of the top 100 thought leaders in

leadership and among the top ten consultant providers ofleadership development.

She authored Work for a Living & Still Be Free to Live, thefirst book on work/life balancea topic that placed her as afuturist in this issue and continues to be published in revisededitions. Her second book, The Resilient Spirit, is found from South Africa to California. Talk Ain'tCheap... It's Priceless - Connecting in a Disconnected World can be found in offices around the world.

Her newest book, Gifts from the Mountain: Simple Truths for Life's Complexities, is a featured title withaward-winning publisher, Berrett Koehler.

She's been a guest on CNN as well as other television and radio programs and has created an excitingChicago-based radio commentary, Celebrating the Human Spirit. She is a featured author inA Women'sWay to Incredible Success: Real Life Lessons from 20 Prominent Business Women and a contributingauthor in Meditations for the Road Warrior. Her three-part video training program,Engaging the Spirit ofNurse Leadership is in constant demand within the healthcare arena.

Clients have ranged from American Airlines to Xerox, from 3M to IBM, from drill foremen in the Arctic

to juvenile offenders in prison. She served as one of ten faculty members in a business television series,Reclaiming Business Excellence and has headlined with speakers like NBA Coach Pat Riley, NotreDame's former coach Lou Holtz, Dr. Ken Blanchard, executive strategist Marshall Goldsmith, William

Bridges, and boardroom poet, David Whyte.

Eileen is a certified speaking professional (CSP) and her election into the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fameplaces her among the top 3% of the 4000-member National Speakers Association. She's served two three-year terms on the Board of Directors of NSA and also currently on the national board for Take Back Your

Time, an international initiative for work/life integration practices. Eileen's articles are published on- andoff-line around the world and she frequently offers her insight in her "Plain Talk" blog and a free,

quarterly newsletter "The Energizer".

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