We try to be resilient in life and at work on a daily basis. But it is not that simple to maintain or improve the resilience of others. Managing a team has its challenges on its own, now let’s add the constant change, uncertainty, and adaptation that the last few years have brought on us. Although most of us thought it was going to be temporary, we have reached the moment where acceptance is the only path. The world has changed, the way we work has too… and it is time to adapt and thrive.
Resilience tends to be seen as something that needs to be achieved on one’s own. And it most certainly is a skill that we all need to work on, but as a group, teams need to be resilient too. When it comes to teams, the whole is more than the sum of its parts. So it might not be enough for a team to have some resilient members, there must be some collective process of resilience building. Great teams work like a well-oiled machine, there might be different pieces that make up the machine, but it’s their performance when they are together and their interactions that makes it work to perfection.
If you need something more be convinced that this process needs all your team leaders, managers, and the company’s supervisors’ attention. You should know that resilient teams pivot quickly, stay motivated, adapt to constant change, and most importantly, bounce forward from adversity. A resilient team grows stronger in the face of challenges and thrives.
But you might be wondering, what do you need to improve your team’s resilience? Or, how can this be achieved?
- For resilience to grow and strengthen in a group, you need it to become psychologically safe.
To do so, we need to start by leading with the example, create trust by letting your team in, and also giving them the trust they require to do their job efficiently, meaning stay away from micromanaging, and feel like they can talk to you. We have an article where we dig deep into how to create this safety in the workplace, if you would like to read more about it, click here.
A team that feels safe with each other will have better communication, a smoother dynamic, and cooperation. When teams trust one another, they become a safety net for their members, where they will be caught if they fall for some reason. Remember there is strength in numbers.
- Empathy within the group is a must for team resilience to happen.
Teammates who understand each other, work better together. But what about their leaders? Well… There is where we should start. Managers need to be sensitive to their team’s pain. Promote spaces where they can express themselves and talk about sensitive topics.
Adjust to their needs without compromising the team’s goals or performance. If they listen and empathize with each other, they can find solutions to problems before you even get involved, but you need to be perceived as someone that cares, so they feel like going to you when dealing with problems that might affect their performance or the team. Some employees don’t feel like they can talk to their managers about burnout, which ends up having the worst consequences for everyone.
And when dealing with hybrid or remote teams, leaders need to be more intentional with creating these spaces for them, maybe in the past it was as easy as bumping into them at the water cooler and casually talking, but new times require new strategies. Sometimes checking in on them and giving some positive feedback can make a huge difference in how they feel within the team. Therefore, it will affect how they work within the team, and how they contribute to problem-solving and challenges facing.
- Fostering collaboration and connection is key.
Empathy and safety are invaluable for a resilient team’s dynamic, but we need to be careful with how we promote work-related roles and dynamics. Yes, everybody needs to play a part, but are we asking them to limit themselves to do their job, or are we letting them seek help, connection, and collaborate with one another.
When people collaborate and get to know their strengths, they learn to work around them and complement each other. They can lend a hand to a coworker that is struggling. Quoting Ferrazzi and Gohar “When the emphasis is put on team resilience, and when team members pick up responsibilities for each other, the team as a unit can maintain its emotional and physical energies, even when individual members are encountering hardships.”
Relaying and supporting each other leaves places for them to recharge when needed without it being an inconvenience. Having the team take a group responsibility to maintain the well-being of its members can make them more self-aware and careful with how they invest their energy.
There are no magical steps that will make this happen in a week, but if you are willing to put in the effort, it will pay off. Resilience is the muscle we need to exercise daily in this modern changing world. So, what are you waiting to improve your team’s resilience?
