Devereux Center for Resilient Children | 444 Devereux Dr. Villanova, PA 19085 | (866) 872-4687 | www.centerforresilientchildren.org

Don’t Forget Your UmbrellasStrategies for Becoming a Resilient Leader

presented by

Susan Damico, M.A.Director, Devereux Center for Resilient Children

What is

The ability to bounce back.

The ability to overcomemisfortune or change.

RESILIENCE ?

Four Adult Protective Factors Related to Resilience

RelationshipsThe mutual, long-lasting, back-and-forth bond we have with another person in our lives.

InitiativeThe ability to make positive choices and decisions and act upon them.

Internal BeliefsThe feelings and thoughts we have about ourselves and our lives, and how effective we think we are taking action in life.

Self-ControlThe ability to experience a range of feelings and express them using the words and actions that society considers appropriate.

Resilience

Ordinary Magic - Ann Masten

Almost Always

Devereux Adult Resilience Survey (DARS)

© 2013 The Devereux Foundation. All rights reserved. The Devereux Center for Resilient Children (DCRC) grants permission to reproduce copies of the DARS for educational purposes.

Take time to reflect on and complete each item on the survey below. There are no right answers! Once you have finished, reflect on your strengths and then start small and plan for one or two things that you feel are important to improve. For fun and practical ideas on how to strengthen your protective factors, use the chapters of Building Your Bounce: Simple Strategies for a Resilient You.

By Mary Mackrain, M.Ed.

Notes

Internal BeliefsThe feelings and thoughts we have about ourselves and our lives, and how effective we think we are taking action in life.

Self-ControlThe ability to experience a range of feelings and express them using the words and actions that society considers appropriate.

RelationshipsThe mutual, long-lasting, back-and-forth bond we have with another person in our lives.

InitiativeThe ability to make positive choices and decisions and act upon them.

Devereux Resilient Leadership Survey (DERLS)

© 2016 The Devereux Foundation. All rights reserved. The Devereux Center for Resilient Children (DCRC) grants permission to reproduce copies of the DERLS for educational purposes. Based on the original work, the DARS, by Mary Mackrain.

This survey was created to support leaders as they reflect on how to promote the capacity for resilience in staff. Take time to reflect and complete each item on the survey below. There are no right answers! Once you have finished, reflect on your strengths and then start small and plan for one or two things that you feel are important to improve. For more information about resilient leadership and the DERLS, visit our website at centerforresilientchildren.org, and go to Adults Resilient Leadership.

By Rachel Wagner, MSW & Nefertiti Poyner, Ed.D.

Items Almost Always Sometimes Not YetRelationships1. I cultivate supportive teamwork.2. I challenge staff to do their best.3. I work side-by-side with staff as needed.4. I encourage staff to show empathy to others.5. I foster trust with staff.Internal Beliefs1. I delegate to encourage staff ownership.2. I nurture staff strengths.3. I encourage staff creativity.4. I demonstrate that I value staff diversity.5. I create a common vision and mission with staff.6. I model and encourage positivity and optimism.Initiative1. I model and teach effective communication.2. I encourage collaborative problem-solving with staff.3. I praise and celebrate staff contributions.4. I support staff development and learning.5. I am open to new ideas from staff.6. I enjoy staff and share positive moments.7. I strive for manageable workloads for staff.8. I encourage staff to ask for help.Self-Control1. I validate the feelings of staff.2. I establish clear and fair expectations of staff.3. I encourage staff to be flexible.4. I share healthy coping strategies with staff.

Notes

Internal BeliefsThe feelings and thoughts we have about ourselves and our lives, and how effective we think we are taking action in life.

Self-ControlThe ability to experience a range of feelings and express them using the words and actions that society considers appropriate.

RelationshipsThe mutual, long-lasting, back-and-forth bond we have with another person in our lives.

InitiativeThe ability to make positive choices and decisions and act upon them.

Adult Resilience

Action Plan

grat·i·tude/ˈɡradəˌt(y)o͞od/

noun1. the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness."she expressed her gratitude to the committee for their support"

A growing body of research supports the benefits of practicing gratitude, including: improved physical health, greater happiness, better sleep, more self-esteem, stronger relationships, greater resilience, less anxiety, reduced symptoms of depression, and so much more.

Gratitude plays an important role in the workplace… Consider the following:

Saying “thanks” at work makes people feel happier and hearing “thanks” made them happier and more productive (by 50%).

Only 18% felt expressing gratitude made bosses seem weak; 93% said grateful bosses were more likely to succeed.

In general, “thank you” from a supervisor boosts self-worth and self-efficacy; gratitude recipients become more trusting and more helpful.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the number one reason why people leave their jobs is because they don’t feel appreciated.

Gratitude doesn’t come naturally for many of us. We don’t wake up every morning feeling like a million bucks and endlessly grateful for the good things in life. Gratitude takes practice.

Get started now…. Take a few minutes to practice!

The statistics above come from The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. A free PowerPoint presentation with trainer notes and citations called “Why Gratitude Matters in Health Care” can be downloaded here: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/search?q=gratitude+powerpoint.

This exercise was adapted from https://www.inc.com/matthew-jones/7-simple-gratitude-practices-that-make-all-pessimistic-people-happier.html.

Gratitude ExerciseIdentify 3 things that you feel grateful for and appreciate about your life. These things can be based on the past, present, or future. No category or thing is too big or small to appreciate, however, being specific might be helpful.

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Identify 3 things that you take for granted, but are actually very thankful for. We all have things that we take for granted. This is the time to reflect and discover which of those you value the most.

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Identify 3 things that you appreciate about yourself. Pick things that are meaningful. These can involve your personality, your qualities, your actions, or anything else directly related to yourself.

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Identify 3 people who had a significant and positive experience on your life. These people can be coaches, mentors, professors, bosses, family members, or anyone else in your life. Call those people to mind and think about how they made a difference in your life.

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Devereux Center for Resilient Children | 444 Devereux Dr. Villanova, PA 19085 | (866) 872-4687 | www.centerforresilientchildren.org