I knocked on the door of a house in a rundown neighborhood, not knowing what to expect. All I knew was that a man named Elmo lived here and that he had been in contact with a known Russian intelligence officer. The door flew open, and I found myself face-to-face with the man I needed to interview. Once I introduced myself as an FBI agent, he lunged toward me.
I didn’t flinch. I had experienced something bigger and uglier than Elmo before.
As an eight-year-old, I watched my Dad cut bulls from a herd with ease on our Wyoming ranch. He and his horse moved as one once they spotted the critter and culled it from the rest. It looked simple, so when Dad told me to bring in a horned bull, I sprang into action. But once I found the bull, it charged both my horse and me.
My horse pivoted, and we got away, but I still had a problem. How to cut the bull from the herd and corral him? Dad’s approach didn’t work; I needed a new plan. I knew my horse riled the bull, so I dismounted. It was just the bull and me, face-to-face. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a nearby rock pile that would save me if he charged again.
He shook his head and blew snot from side to side, but he slowly turned around and headed toward the corral as I led my horse behind me.
Both situations required resilient thinking and a willingness to pivot from the original approach: The bull backed down, and so did Elmo once he knew I wasn’t there to arrest him.
What is resilience?
Resilience isn’t just about bouncing back; anyone who has been through adversity knows they are not the same afterward. They have rebuilt, adapted and learned after a setback. It involves a blend of hope and determination, because it takes resolve to push through difficulties. Some setbacks demand perseverance, while others call for creativity, adaptability and the courage to explore new possibilities.
Layoffs, stagnant wages, AI-driven automation and evolving workplace expectations have made resilience an essential survival skill. Today’s leaders can’t just survive another quarter — they need to build careers that won’t crumble if AI automates their role or if restructuring eliminates their department. That requires resilience: the ability to adapt, take initiative and stay grounded, even when the ground is shifting beneath them.
Here is how to build effective leadership resilience that creates success:
1. Face down reality
Effective leaders understand that fantasizing about their potential is dangerous. So is the lie that tells them everything is fine in their current situation.
I spent two weeks at the FBI Academy training in undercover operations. Having watched the movies and TV shows, I expected to learn how to scissor-kick in high heels and tackle a 300-pound terrorist on the run.
I like that fantasy, too! But the reality is a little closer to this: we all need to know our limits. That doesn’t mean we need to spend the rest of our lives within those limits; success often requires pushing past them before we can reach a new plateau.
Accepting the reality of our lives should be easy, but many people end up in denial, which often leads to regret and disappointment. When we fail to connect with reality, we end up in unfulfilling jobs or even the wrong career altogether.
The first step toward resilience when life is hard is to let go of the imaginary part of your life and come to grips with the reality of your situation. If you hope to succeed, you can’t improve what you don’t acknowledge
My tip:
- Look at your situation as a challenge, not a threat; struggles are a fact of life.
- Forget about turning your weaknesses into strengths (this is a mistake many people make).
- Find a solution to your problem and break it down into small, realistic steps, but make sure each step stretches you beyond your current capabilities.
2. Watch for unfettered optimism
Effective leaders do not equate resilience with optimism, because optimism is neither practical nor effective for addressing hard questions during hard times. Optimism often leads to avoidance rather than action, causing people to overlook real problems that need attention.
When someone is overly optimistic, they may filter negative situations through rose-colored glasses and put an optimistic spin on them rather than confronting reality. When this happens, optimism ignores obstacles and reality.
Researchers have found that a more effective way to build resilience is to visualize an attainable goal and then consider all the obstacles that might get in your way. This approach undermines the complacency fostered by unfettered optimism.
When we look at the reality of our situation, we prepare ourselves to act in ways that help us endure and survive extraordinary hardship. We train ourselves to survive before the fact.
My tip:
Name the reality before you frame the hope. Instead of “Everything will work out fine!” confront the hardship. For example: “We lost the contract, and two team members are leaving — that’s hard. But we still have our core client base and three strong proposals in the pipeline. Here’s how we move forward.”
Connect optimism to action, not just attitude. Good things will happen, but only through hard work and dedication, not simply by maintaining positive thoughts. Unfettered optimism says “it will all work out,” but a more realistic approach says “we can make it work out if we take these specific steps.”
Acknowledge what you can’t control and focus on what you can. Understanding what you can control helps you manage your emotions. This prevents the complacency that comes from pretending obstacles don’t exist.
3. Search For Meaning
Effective leaders know how to reframe their experiences as they pursue what matters to them. This is critical in today’s disruptive work environment.
When you’re confident that your work has a purpose you can fulfill, you can bring hope and resolve to prevail over adversity. Research shows that purpose-driven leaders are resilient because their belief in that purpose serves as a psychological anchor, giving them the fortitude to navigate setbacks and stay focused during challenging times.
When people feel their life has a purpose they can fulfill, they draw on their inner strengths to bring forth wisdom, hope and resolve — even when everything else is shifting.
Meaning and purpose in your work empower you to make a tangible, positive difference in the world, contributing to the greater good — this builds resilience by connecting your effort to something larger than yourself.
My tip:
- Identify your three to five core values, then look for activities and ways of showing up at work that align with those values. Reflect on how your current role connects to what you find most important, then intentionally craft your work to bring those values to life.
- Ask yourself two questions regularly: “Who benefits from the work I do?” and “How does what I do make a difference?” Link your everyday actions to the people or outcomes they impact to shift from task-driven to purpose-driven work.
- Keep a daily journal focused on how you helped others, how you lived out your values, or moments when you made a difference. At the end of each day, write down two or three specific examples of meaning you created or experienced, then share these moments with others when appropriate.
In an era of AI automation, layoffs and constant disruption, resilience requires leaders to face reality honestly, maintain realistic optimism grounded in action and anchor themselves in work that holds genuine meaning and purpose.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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