The Strength of Resilience

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. Maya Angelou

Resilience is….

  • Getting back up after you’ve fallen.
  • Trying again after you’ve been criticized or put down
  • Putting yourself back out there, after you’ve been hurt or betrayed.
  • Setting up another sales meeting after the fifth cancellation
  • showing up to work with a positive attitude in spite of persistent negative press and media scrutiny about your organisation
  • continuing to apply for the next job after the seventh rejection letter hits your in box.

Resilience is the capacity to bounce back from setbacks or adversity and respond to pressure and the demands of work productively.

Our tool Strengthscope® measures 24 work based strengths and the extent to whether resilience is an underlying quality that energises you and if it is one of your significant 7 strengths. If resilience is one of your core strengths chances are you are energised by and deal effectively with setbacks and enjoy the trials associated with overcoming difficult challenges. You are likely to see problems or threats as opportunities and bounce back and recover from stressful or traumatic experiences. You persist in solving difficult problems and remain committed to the task or goal in the face of rejection, distractions or setbacks.

Here’s what it might look like in a workplace setting:

“I’m at my best when someone throws a spanner in the works and I have to find a way round the problem. Even though I might feel a bit annoyed inside, I get satisfaction from my ability to stay calm and from applying myself to sort it out. My sense of achievement comes from managing to resolve issues that everyone else has given up on.”

“I remember being really affected by a trauma related injury that killed a guy who was an identical age to me at the time. This was the first time I worked in A & E. I questioned whether I wanted to continue to do this… It took me time, but I got over it and I carried on…”

“We see so many terrible things on a day to day basis we have to rely on each other to survive…”

The good news is that although some people seem to be born with more resilience than others, those whose resilience is lower can learn how to boost their ability to cope, thrive and flourish when the going gets tough.

Our BOUNCE framework, based on psychological research takes you through six core resilience factors and provides tools and resources to develop and strengthen each area:

B       Build a social support network:
Surround yourself by the right people

O       Optimise your mindset:
Learn how to reframe and rethink setbacks

U       Understand your Strengths:
Identify your strengths and apply them well

N       Nurture yourself:
Take care of your mind, body and spirit

C       Control the Controllables:
Focus on the areas you can influence

E       Enable yourself to deliver:
Be productive with your time and energy

If you think resilience is one of your core strengths, here are some tips to strengthen it and develop it further:

– How can you help others to learn to deal more effectively with setbacks and challenges based on your own experience and learning?

– How can you ensure you don’t overstretch yourself or channel your energy inappropriately by taking on impossible or low value projects or tasks?

– What steps, however small, can you take to help the team/organisation build greater resilience to deal with market downturns, negatives press, political pressures, financial challenges and other setbacks?

What does not destroy me, makes me stronger. Friedrich Nietzsche

For more information about how using strengths can help you to unlock the energy and boost resilience in your organisation contact us at

[email protected]

To learn more about our up and coming Strengthscope accreditation programmes in the UK, Australia and New Zealand for 2016, contact us at:

[email protected]

Ph: 0800 170 1018

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