The Resilience Code: Building Inner Strength.

Resilience, often seen as the key to success, goes beyond individual grit. Recent research highlights the significant impact of strong relationships and networks in building resilience. Interactions with people in our personal and professional lives can alter the magnitude of challenges, crystallize meaningful purposes, and motivate persistence. It’s not just about individual strength but also the depth and breadth of our relationships. Consider the following exercise to assess the robustness of your support network during setbacks.

The Resilience Code: Building Inner Strength — One Trend

In the face of unprecedented challenges, resilience emerges as the linchpin that distinguishes triumph from defeat. Take Alex, an anaesthesiologist who once characterized his job as “90% boredom, 10% horror.” Little did he know that the routine would be upended by the Covid-19 pandemic, thrusting him and his team into an overwhelmed hospital day after day.

During those trying times, Alex, like many others, found solace not just in personal strength but in the resilience fostered by meaningful connections. Our research, based on in-depth interviews with 150 leaders, reveals that resilience is not solely an individual trait but is significantly influenced by robust relationships and networks.

Resilience is not a solitary internal quality; it thrives through diverse interactions in both personal and professional realms. These interactions serve to reshape challenges, infuse purpose into our endeavours, and illuminate paths forward after setbacks. Resilience, as we discover, is not just about individual fortitude; it’s about the depth and breadth of our relationships.

Consider this exercise to evaluate the strength of your support network during challenging times:

Identify Your Top Resilience Needs

Select the top three sources of resilience that resonate most with you from the list below:

1. Shifting work or managing surges
2. Making sense of people or politics in a given situation
3. Finding confidence to push back and self-advocate
4. Seeing a path forward
5. Receiving empathic support to release negative emotions
6. Sharing laughter to boost resilience
7. Reminding yourself of the purpose or meaning in your work
8. Broadening your perspective for increased resilience

Plan How to Expand Your Network

Reflect on the resilience needs you identified and jot down the names of individuals or groups you can invest in to cultivate these sources of resilience. Strengthen existing relationships by exploring non-work interests or deepening connections with influential colleagues. Initiate engagement with new groups or people to intentionally broaden your network and gain different perspectives.

Building resilience is not a one-time effort; it’s an ongoing process that involves cultivating authentic connections in various aspects of your life. As we navigate the challenges of the ongoing pandemic, the importance of maintaining and building connections has never been more evident. Resilience is a team sport, and your network is a valuable resource in weathering life’s storms.