Resiliency is one of the most important traits a human can have. Sometimes ‘it’ is a break up that you didn’t see coming. Your car broke down on the side of an interstate three hundred miles from home. You fell and broke your arm and of course, it was your writing arm. Or maybe, a global pandemic has recently upended your world and now you are working from home, homeschooling, unemployed, scared. How does resiliency fall into your new world?
Resilience: the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens (noun)
If you have been alive since January 1st 2020, you have seen some pretty crazy things this year. Almost World War III, an impeachment trial, a global pandemic, and all we can do is wonder what is next. Everyone seems to have their bets about what comes next and how this year ends.
Change can be really painful sometimes. Remember when we were younger and went through our first big heartbreak? I know I was convinced that I would never get over it. I cried for a few days, felt angry and hurled insults into thin air. Typical, dramatic, teenage my-life-is-over antics.
It turns out though, that isn’t really the case though.
Grief changes us, for better or for worse
Grief is experienced differently based on each individual but generally it follows the same pattern. Sadness, denial, anger, bargaining, acceptance, and other feelings. Sometimes it can feel like all of those feelings hit at once, like a tsunami of overwhelming emotion.
Finding our way through a sea of constantly changing and mixing emotions can be incredibly difficult, but this is also how change happens. Accepting your feelings will make the process a little bit less like having a tooth pulled without anesthesia.
The world has changed, and that is something you may feel the need to grieve. The office you left won’t be the same when you go back. Schools will change before they can reopen.
It doesn’t have to be a bad thing though. This is why resiliency is so important. It is the longest-standing theme of humanity: survive at all costs. No matter what knocks us down, we get back up and continue to fight for every new day.
Our offices have changed. Resiliency says we enjoy being home with the kids or pets. Schools will change. Resiliency tells us to get back up and say “maybe this will decrease bullying”. How we get our groceries has changed. Resiliency says plan your grocery trip for a sunny day so standing in a line to get in the store is pleasant.
Stop looking at things the negative way and see them for what they are. An open window when a door closed in front of us.
How can we show our resilience as a company?
Keeping up with the changing times is important. Those who cannot evolve will wither. We have no choice but to find new ways forward. That is not just about changing our product or changing our messages to something that sounds caring.
Here are 3 ways to show your resiliency as a company or a supervisor.
#1. Show your employees that you value them right now more than ever.
Give them an extra 15 minutes for a short walk. Consider running an office support group. Ask how they are doing and really listen to them. If you can afford to give them a raise, do it. Don’t just say you care about them, actually show them.
#2. Let your customers feel the love.
Tone deaf emails and texts begging for donations when we all know that we are at Great Depression levels of unemployment is just unacceptable. People deserve better than companies that don’t even pay attention to the changing times and plights of their customers. Make sure your marketing strategy continues to evolve with the changing situation.
#3. Take care of yourself too and work on your own resiliency.
When you let stress get the best of you, it will eventually leak into your work. Try some meditation before bed: Good Housekeeping Meditation. Take a hot bath or shower and really enjoy a soak. Call someone you are close with and talk to them about how you are feeling. Just don’t allow toxicity to leak into your leadership now. You need to be at the top of your game now. You got this.
