Resilience matters. Life always throws some curve balls that make you stop and ponder, “How can I get through this?” This is especially true in the workplace. Unstable markets sometimes affect profits and thwart a company’s goal attainment. Difficult managers or unpleasant coworkers sometimes make teamwork difficult to achieve.
These and other workplace challenges may cause you to feel like a failure. However, it’s always important to remember that failure isn’t final. Resilience helps you bounce back from any setback. It requires mental dexterity and embracing the fact that you can overcome all challenges. Here are some strategies to help you develop resilience in the face of business challenges.
Stop viewing mistakes as a total reflection of you. We are not perfect, which at times can cause us to make mistakes. Each mistake you make provides a learning opportunity to make the most of the future.
Get out of the rat race and focus on yourself; this is a marathon, not a sprint. There will be times when you stumble, but have the end-goal in sight and use that as your motivation to get back up!
Some people use failure as an opportunity to build tension and controversy. They thrive on the other’s failures. In fact, they use every opportunity they can to highlight them. Their motives are never pure. Workplace politics abound.
You should never be one of these people. Learn to be a team player. When your team fails, everyone fails. When your team triumphs, everyone triumphs. This doesn’t mean that you should do another person’s work and offer yourself as a martyr for the team. Instead, you should complete your assigned tasks and motivate your colleagues to do the same. Help create a positive environment for all team members to thrive.
Related article: How to build an effective team at work
Failure tends to weigh heavily on people because they set high expectations for themselves. Nothing is wrong with setting high expectations. The issue arises when those high expectations force you to think that you should always be perfect.
Kim Collins, a track and field athlete, once said: “Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection.” He’s right. You’re not striving to be perfect. You’re striving to become the best version of yourself possible, flaws and all.
Carry this renewed perspective into the workplace. Know that you can only give your best. When you’ve given your best and things still fall apart, that doesn’t make you less of a person. You just have to pick up the pieces and work on improving the weaknesses you identified.
Problems have solutions. They may not be easily visible, but they’re there. It’s human nature to lament about our problems and setbacks. So, it’s understandable for you to take 5 minutes to do that. When the 5 minutes have ended, get up, brush off the hurt and begin planning a positive solution.
Remember you’re staying in your own lane and running your own race. Positive solutions uplift the company, despite the negative influences of other employees. What positive solutions can you find that won’t damage others?
Goals bring meaning to life. They provide you with the impetus to get up out of bed in the mornings. They’ll also guide the actions you take at work. Create these goals and take small actions each day towards them. Accomplishing the small tasks will boost your motivation to reach the end goal.
You must confront your challenges head on and defeat them. Resilience is the key to rising above the fray. Use all the tips outlined in this article to help you overcome business adversity.