We hope you are enjoying HB’s Leading Better series and finding some useful tips that you can put in place as you continually discover and develop your practice of leadership.

This month we explore Resilience. We hear from some HB-ers and how they keep resilient in challenging times.

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Resilience

we all know the word, but what does it actually require of us? And how do we get ourselves in the best mindset to keep resilient?

Silvia Saad, Business & Operations Manager at HB, shares what resilience means to her:

Resilience is how I respond when challenges inevitably come up, not pretending things don’t affect me. In practice, resilience is a stack of small everyday actions and choices that allow me to stay flexible without breaking.

The importance of every choice and action, no matter how small

Silvia’s reflection calls out actions and choices. The only thing you can really control is how you think and act in the moment you are currently in. Instead of falling apart when things happen to derail well thought out plans… pause, feel all the feelings, and then pick yourself back up again and keep going.

Emotional balance makes it easier to recognise that you have already successfully dealt with all sorts of challenges over your life. Taking a moment to recognise this will grow your confidence to bring your best self and all of your problem-solving skills to whatever the next moment brings. Take each moment, ‘chipping away’, focus on just the next step and before you know it, you will see progress.

Namikoye Samita, HB9 participant, shares how a little encouragement can keep you going:

My daughters kept telling me to take the leap of faith and start working out on my own without depending on motivation from other external sources… I have learnt to value my health and put myself first.

Namikoye’s example of resilience points to how important and life-changing it can be to have encouragement from those around you. Finding people and communities that share your vision and aspirations, just like the HB community, can help to keep you energised and remind you that you have the will and skill to overcome anything.

Tips for keeping resilient

Silvia shares other tips on keeping resilient:

• Shift my mindset on what I can control rather than spending energy on what I cannot
• Practice daily gratitude as a way to build mental strength
• Instead of asking “why me?”, ask instead “what is this teaching me?”
• Ensure I prioritise my sleep, nutrition and movement – the most basic foundation for resilience
• “No” is a complete sentence; setting boundaries doesn’t require an explanation
• Asking for help as well as helping others strengthens resilience
• Staying curious switches challenges to opportunities

So, the next time that the challenge feels too big to overcome, ask yourself…. What action can you take to re-set your mindset, emotions and energy? How can you mobilise or find a community to keep you energised?

And remember, impactful change takes time and doesn’t happen overnight. Keep chipping away, one foot in front of the other.