(I008) Resilience in Pieces
By Anette Lan, written on November 14, 2024
Resilience Redefined: Learning to Move Forward
Resilience is often described as the ability to bounce back from adversity, but I see it differently. Rather than “bouncing back,” resilience to me is about reframing challenges to move forward. Recently, I reflected on why people have called me resilient and asked myself:
What makes me this way?
I landed on an analogy that perfectly captures my approach. Imagine you’re faced with a puzzle—a complex, scattered one from a yard sale. You pour out the pieces only to realize the box doesn’t match the pieces, and there’s no guarantee all of them are there. In those first moments, you might think, “WTF?” But then, something shifts. Alright, you tell yourself, let’s see what we’ve got here. It’s in that transition from shock to curiosity that I find my resilience. Instead of waiting for clarity, I lean into uncertainty and start piecing things together.
Staying Curious and Human-Centered in the Face of Challenges
For me, resilience also involves curiosity. My agnostic views open me to the idea that every challenge—whether in life or business—is here to teach something. If I can stay curious and ask, What can I learn from this moment?, I find a path forward, even if pieces are missing or there’s no clear picture of the outcome. Life and business are full of unknowns, but each challenge holds a lesson that fuels growth.
The Human-Centered Approach to Organizational Behavior and Leadership
This mindset of curiosity and patience translates directly to organizational behavior and leadership, especially in today’s complex environments. Just like the yard sale puzzle, modern business challenges often lack a clear end picture or a straightforward solution. But as Jim Collins discusses in Good to Great, having the “right people on the bus” enables organizations to adapt in the face of adversity. Human-centered leaders build resilience by supporting individuals emotionally, creating an environment where challenges are shared, understood, and tackled together.
Patrick Lencioni’s Patrick Lencioni work in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team emphasizes trust and vulnerability, essential elements in creating a safe space where employees feel they can voice their struggles and be part of collaborative solutions. By fostering these principles, leaders can transform teams, ensuring that even in ambiguity, each person contributes meaningfully to the organization’s progress.
The Importance of Emotional Intelligence and Goal Adaptability
Human-centered leadership also prioritizes emotional intelligence (EI)—a foundational aspect for leaders looking to build resilience. Daniel Goleman’s work on EI underscores the importance of self-awareness, empathy, and social skills, all crucial to creating an environment where employees feel understood. High EI enables leaders to recognize and support emotional needs, especially during unpredictable times, which Lencioni suggests is key to building trust and cohesion.
Goal-Setting and Adaptability
In a human-centered environment, goal-setting takes on an adaptable approach. Locke and Latham’s Goal-Setting Theory shows that clear, challenging goals drive motivation, but it’s also about the “how.” Leaders who empower teams to adapt goals as situations change foster resilience. By focusing on growth, leaders help individuals develop the flexibility needed to face setbacks and reframe challenges.
Making a Masterpiece from the Pieces
Returning to the puzzle analogy, there’s a unique sense of accomplishment when the pieces start to fit—shapes, colours, and patterns coming together. Even if pieces are missing, you can tap into your real creative side and recreate what’s needed, filling in the gaps thoughtfully, like an artist reimagining a masterpiece from fragments. This mirrors the Japanese art of kintsugi—repairing broken pottery with gold—embracing flaws and making the piece even more beautiful than before. Similarly, in life and business, each hardship or “missing piece” is an opportunity to craft something new and resilient.
Approaching leadership with this mindset creates a culture that thrives through change, turning uncertainty into growth and resilience into opportunity. Each time we solve one of these “puzzles,” we’re better prepared for the next, building something meaningful from even the most scattered pieces.
#Resilience is about more than bouncing back—it's about reframing challenges. In leadership, embracing a #HumanCentered approach can help us navigate uncertainty, fostering a culture of #Curiosity, #Growth, and #Adaptability. Leveraging #EmotionalIntelligence, as described by #DanielGoleman, alongside insights from #JimCollins and #PatrickLencioni, leaders can build environments where individuals feel supported and motivated. With #GoalSetting and #SelfEfficacy in mind, we can inspire teams to tackle challenges creatively, building #ResilientOrganizations. Like #Kintsugi, our journey is about making something beautiful from what’s imperfect. #LeadershipDevelopment #OrganizationalBehavior #Mindset
References
1. Collins, J. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap...and others don’t. HarperBusiness.
2. Daniel Goleman (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Bantam Books.
3. Patrick Lencioni M. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable. Jossey-Bass.
4. Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (1990). A theory of goal setting and task performance. Prentice Hall.
