{"id":48805,"date":"2023-01-21T10:45:19","date_gmt":"2023-01-21T15:45:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ccl.org\/?post_type=articles&p=48805"},"modified":"2025-05-08T06:59:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T10:59:39","slug":"leadership-resiliency-handling-stress-uncertainty-and-setbacks","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/www.ccl.org\/articles\/leading-effectively-articles\/leadership-resiliency-handling-stress-uncertainty-and-setbacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership Resilience: Handling Stress, Uncertainty, and Setbacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to Be a More Resilient Leader<\/h2>\n

Over the past few years, we\u2019ve been reminded that change is ongoing, plans unravel, and expectations aren\u2019t always met.<\/p>\n

Work priorities shift, players change. And for many of us, work will likely never return to a pre-pandemic \u201cnormal.\u201d People who can\u2019t handle a fast pace or uncertainty are less likely to feel motivated at work and more likely to become overwhelmed.<\/p>\n

And, of course, stress isn\u2019t limited to the office; personal setbacks and crises don\u2019t go away just because work is already difficult. Young children and aging parents can squeeze mid-career professionals. And no matter what anyone says about keeping home life and work life separate, or trying to find \u201cbalance,\u201d<\/a> pressure from one easily seeps into the other.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why\u00a0resilience \u2014 maintaining equilibrium under pressure \u2014 is among the most important skills for leaders at all levels to master.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The question isn\u2019t how can you avoid difficulty and stress \u2014 that\u2019s nearly impossible to do. Rather, the question is, How do you face it?<\/em><\/p>\n

All of us can benefit from improving our leadership resilience \u2014 making us better able to face a crisis, recover, and adapt.<\/p>\n

3 Practices to Build Your Leadership Resilience<\/h3>\n

At CCL, we advocate for these 3 best practices to build your resiliency:<\/p>\n

\"Infographic:<\/a><\/p>\n

1. Manage your personal energy.<\/h4>\n

Control your own resistance. \u201cShow up,\u201d give your best, and relinquish attachment to the outcome. Stay in the present.<\/p>\n

2. Shift your lenses.<\/h4>\n

Take charge of how you think about adversity. Understand your beliefs about the situation, and choose your response. Exercise compassion for yourself and others.<\/p>\n

3. Find your sense of purpose.<\/h4>\n

Develop a \u201cpersonal why\u201d that gives your life meaning. This helps you better face setbacks and challenges. Also, look for ways that crisis and adversity may connect to your larger life purpose. Lessons can be gleaned from hardships<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How to Be More Resilient: Take Better Care of Yourself<\/h2>\n

Our ability to cope with stress, illness, and change is improved when we make time for wellness<\/a> and take better care of ourselves. These are a few ideas we share with our participants to help them build their leadership resilience:<\/p>\n

5 Self-Care Tips for Leadership Resilience<\/h3>\n

1. Get enough sleep.<\/h4>\n

What can you do to conserve energy? Get between 7.5 and 8.5 hours of sleep each night. Set a regular sleep schedule, even on weekends. Disconnect \u2014 and park those devices far from the bed. Create a relaxing environment that\u2019s dark, cool, and quiet. Prioritize sleep, because it\u2019s directly connected to productivity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. Prioritize exercise.<\/h4>\n

What can you do to increase your physical energy?\u00a0Exercise and leadership<\/a> are closely linked.\u00a0During the workday, get up and move every 90 to 120 minutes. Suggest a walking meeting. Climb stairs instead of taking the elevator.<\/p>\n

3. Play brain games.<\/h4>\n

What can you do to overcome mental fatigue and exhaustion? Learn anything new. Solve a challenging puzzle. Find positive distractions such as hobbies or meditation.<\/p>\n

4. Control your emotions.<\/h4>\n

What can you do to become more conscious of emotional triggers? Figure out who and what pushes your buttons. Step away, slow down, or enlist an ally to help you control your reactions and choose your response. Cultivate kindness by doing something nice for someone else. Use positive self-talk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

5. Enhance social connections.<\/h4>\n

What can you do to create more meaningful and productive relationships? Ask a colleague for advice, give positive feedback, or share something you recently learned about yourself.<\/p>\n

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Access Our Webinar!<\/h3>\n

Watch our webinar, How to Promote Wellbeing at Work<\/em><\/a>, and learn how to build a workplace culture that supports and promotes wellbeing for all employees.<\/p>\n

Access Webinar<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Reflection & Journaling Can Help You Be More Resilient<\/h2>\n

Another way to improve your leadership resilience is to reflect on your experiences.<\/p>\n

One thing you can do \u2014 every day if you like \u2014 to help build your leadership resilience and your capacity to weather stressful events is journaling.<\/p>\n

We recommend using \u201clearning journals\u201d or \u201creflection journals\u201d as tools for gaining insight into your leadership experiences. The process of writing and reflection builds self-awareness, encourages learning, and opens the door to adaptability.<\/p>\n

The form and content of your journal is a matter of individual choice. However, when you do sit down to make a journal entry about an experience that has challenged your equilibrium, we recommend it have 3 parts:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The event or experience: <\/strong>Describe what occurred as objectively as possible. Don\u2019t use judgmental language. Stick to the facts.<\/li>\n
  2. Your reaction: <\/strong>Describe your reaction to the event as factually and objectively as possible.<\/li>\n
  3. The lessons:<\/strong>\u00a0Think about the experience and your reaction to it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In short \u2014 capture the event or experience in objective language, describe your reaction, then note the lessons you might get from it. We use journaling as part of almost all our leadership development program experiences, and we emphasize with our participants that learning leadership resilience doesn\u2019t come from the \u201cdoing\u201d but in the \u201creflecting<\/em>\u00a0on the doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

    To foster this reflection, even if you don\u2019t journal, just spend some thinking. Recall a time in your personal or professional life when you were able to rise above a difficult situation. Then ask yourself:<\/p>\n