Everyone falls short at some point. When you inevitably run into roadblocks, be resilient and maneuver around them by looking ahead and working with your team.
Resilience means bouncing back from adversity. But Keith Ferrazzi, Los Angeles-based author of "Competing in the New World of Work" and founder and chairman of management consulting firm Ferrazzi Greenlight, looks at it instead as bouncing forward.
"We always have this wistful sense of going back to work or back to something," he said. "But especially today in this age of volatility, if you go back to anything you're already way behind."
The key to successfully moving forward, he says, is learning to deal with adversity.
Be Resilient By Learning From Setbacks
Overcome adversity by turning setbacks into a chance to gain knowledge and grow, says Tom Hagerty, Cincinnati-based author of "The Business of Relationships" and principal of management consulting firm Hagerty Management Group.
"People who are really resilient don't just recover from a challenge," he said. "They use it as a learning opportunity."
The benefits are many. Resilience enhances self-esteem. It breeds confidence. If you can overcome failures, you feel nothing can stop you.
Richard Branson has been successful with Virgin Airlines, space travel, music and more. But it wasn't always so smooth. He's dyslexic and had a teacher in school who saw only two potential outcomes for Branson: he'd be a millionaire or go to prison.
Branson did the former, but with roadblocks. Several businesses, including a car retailer and clothing company, missed the mark.
"He's failed many times, both personally and professionally, and he acknowledges that," Hagerty said.
But Branson viewed failure as a chance to move forward.
"I suppose the secret to bouncing back is not only to be unafraid of failures but to use them as motivational and learning tools," Branson wrote in his book, "Like a Virgin," adding mistakes are fine as long as they're not repeated.
Be Resilient By Opening Up
To move forward from adversity, look at what's causing your setbacks so you can avoid repeating them, Ferrazzi says. Be transparent and talk openly about problems.
"Conflict avoidance causes an enormous amount of stress," Ferrazzi said.
Oakland, Calif-based cosmetics company Elf Beauty uses a social contract with new employees. It tells them it will make their first three years the fastest and most powerful growth period they've had. But there's a catch that helps them move forward from setbacks.
"You have to be willing to take full criticism and candor," he said. "Nothing is left unspoken. It's getting the team to agree to be candid with each other in service of each other's growth."
That requires building relationships so team members care about each other's growth. That fits with Ferrazzi's preaching about team resilience.
Check In On Resilience
Start with an energy check-in, Ferrazzi says. Ask in group meetings what each person's energy level is from one to 10. It might be low because their mother got a bad diagnosis or their child is struggling in school.
"Team resilience means the team has a contract that they own each other's energy," Ferrazzi said. "The team has each other's back and cares about each other."
They'll try to lift each other up and help them move past those hurdles.
"Resilience used to be an individual sport," Ferrazzi said. "If I hit a wall I used grit to get through it. But that changes if we own each other's resilience."
Build A Network
A network of support fuels innovation, Hagerty says. Several years ago, Alphabet studied why some teams thrive while others fail.
"They found that the most effective teams were engaged with each other and encouraged to take wise risks," Hagerty said.
Prioritize building a positive culture on your team, Hagerty says. He once worked with a volatile boss who fired managers every time something went wrong or there was a disagreement. That didn't teach employees to be resilient.
"An effective leader will say, 'I am the beacon for how this company will deal with challenges,'" Hagerty said.
