RAINMAKERS
RESILIENCE
AT WORK
By Dr. Clifford Ferguson
R
esilience is a person’s capacity
to respond to pressure and
the demands of daily life.
Dictionary definitions include
concepts like flexibility, suppleness,
durability, strength, speed of recovery
and buoyancy. In short, resiliency
affects our ability to ‘bounce back’.
At work, resilient people are better
able to deal with the demands placed
upon them, especially where those
demands might require them to be
dealing with constantly changing
priorities and a heavy workload.
Resilience is not a characteristic
gifted to some individuals and
not others. The key here is that
resilience is not a passive quality,
but an active process. How we
approach life, and everything it can
throw at us, has a massive impact
on our experience.
Resilient people do more of the
things that help maintain that
responsiveness, and it is relatively
easy for those of us who are feeling
less resilient to develop habits that
will increase our ability to perform
under pressure, and perhaps more
importantly, to live better despite
circumstances that try us to the limit.
“Why is it that some people thrive
in the face of challenge and adversity
at work, while others panic and
withdraw into themselves? And why
is it these same people appear to get
ahead while others tread water, or
slowly drown in turbulent waters of
life?
Most people think that a
combination of intelligence, long
working hours and lots of experience
allows people to thrive in potentially
hostile working environments. In fact,
‘‘ At work, resilient people are be tter able
to deal with the demands placed upon them,
especially where those demands might require
them to be dealing with constantly changing
priorities and a heavy workload.’’
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it is those with resilience who cope
best with challenges like constant
organisational change and upheaval,
impending staff cutbacks, looming
deadlines, argumentative meetings
and incessant competition from
business rivals.
The good news is that although some
people seem to be born with more
resilience than others, those whose
resilience is lower can learn how to
boost their ability to cope, thrive and
flourish when the going gets tough.”
(Centre for Confidence and Well-
Being, 2006)
How To Develop Resilience
The ability to cope well with pressure,
adversity and uncertainty relies on
developing behaviours, thoughts
and actions. Anyone can learn these
habits and create strategies to help
increase resilience and hardiness.
Resiliency experts say that people
are helped by a particular pattern of
attitudes and skills that helps them to
survive and thrive under stress.
“Simply put, these attitudes are
commitment, control, and challenge.