Best Practices For Encouraging Emotional Resilience

Leadership feels harder every year. Change keeps coming faster. Resilience isn’t optional anymore. It's transforming how leaders drive performance in turbulent times. From navigating disruption to inspiring teams, resilience empowers leaders to adapt, stay focused, and deliver results. Here are 11 ways leaders can integrate resilience into their strategies: 1/ Reframe Setbacks as Growth → Views failures as learning opportunities → Shifts team focus from blame to innovation 💡 Pro Tip: Host a 15-minute post-setback debrief to pinpoint one lesson and one next step. 2/ Master Emotional Regulation → Uses mindfulness to stay calm under pressure → Reduces reactive decisions by 25% 💡 Pro Tip: Practice 5-minute daily breathing or journaling to sharpen focus before big calls. 3/ Build a Support Network → Leverages mentors and peers for perspective → Doubles performance under stress 💡 Pro Tip: Schedule monthly coffee chats with a mentor to tackle challenges. 4/ Prioritize Self-Care → Models healthy habits to combat burnout → Boosts team engagement by 20% 💡 Pro Tip: Block 30 minutes daily for a walk or reading, and encourage your team to follow. 5/ Foster Psychological Safety → Creates space for risk-taking and ideas → Increases innovation by 25% 💡 Pro Tip: Kick off meetings with, “No idea is too bold. What’s your take?” and acknowledge all input. 6/ Adapt to Change Fast → Pivots quickly to market or tech shifts → Drives 30% higher team productivity 💡 Pro Tip: Streamline one team process this quarter with a new tool and track results. 7/ Communicate Transparently → Shares clear updates during crises → Cuts turnover by 20% in tough times 💡 Pro Tip: Send daily emails during a crisis outlining what’s known and next steps. 8/ Empower Team Problem-Solving → Delegates to build team capacity → Improves outcomes by 15% 💡 Pro Tip: Assign a small project to a team member with clear goals and autonomy. 9/ Lean on Data for Clarity → Uses metrics to cut through chaos → Reduces errors by 18% in high-stakes settings 💡 Pro Tip: Compile 2-3 key metrics before decisions and share the logic with your team. 10/ Keep a Long-Term Vision → Aligns teams with a clear big picture → Boosts goal attainment by 22% 💡 Pro Tip: Craft a one-sentence 2025 vision and share it at your next all-hands. 11/ Celebrate Small Wins → Recognizes victories to build momentum → Increases motivation by 28% 💡 Pro Tip: Start weekly meetings with a 2-minute shout-out for a team win tied to goals. As disruption accelerates (up 183% since 2019), resilience is a leadership must-have. By embracing these 11 strategies, you’ll not only boost performance but also inspire your team to thrive under pressure. Which of these are you leveraging? ------- Subscribe to my newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gtkveAmJ ♻️ Repost if your network needs to see this. Follow Carolyn Healey for more leadership content.

Your emotional state impacts team performance. 3 emotion traps to avoid (and what science says works): Picture this: You’re driving on the freeway, and someone cuts dangerously close. Your reflex? Anger. Maybe even rage. Then another car honks behind you because you slowed down, and your frustration peaks. At the same time, a long-time client calls out of nowhere and says they are stopping work with you—not because of anything you did but due to internal budget cuts on their side. This was my last Thursday. By the time I parked, my day already felt ruined. We’ve all been there. The worst part? Bad days often show up uninvited, with a mix of emotions: anger, exhaustion, frustration. But letting these feelings control you? That’s where the real challenge lies. Here are 3 things NOT to do on tough days: 1. Don’t vent. It might feel like relief but often fuels the fire. Pause instead. 2. Don’t ruminate. Replaying scenarios makes the negativity louder. Shift your focus. 3. Don’t isolate yourself. Everyone is different, but according to Daniel Goleman, for most, staying connected—even briefly—helps more than retreating into solitude. Now, let’s flip the script. 3 things TO DO to turn bad days around (inspired by Daniel Goleman’s book Emotional Intelligence): 1. Mindfulness to Manage Emotions In back-to-back Zoom meetings, bad moods tend to snowball. Take a 3–5-minute pause between meetings. Reflect: How did that meeting go? How am I feeling right now? Even acknowledging, “This is anger I’m feeling,” can help shift your mood and reset your focus. 2. Reframe the Story Ask yourself: What might the other person have been going through? This small perspective shift can transform frustration into understanding. 3. Step Back to Bounce Back Take a physical or mental break—a nature walk, a short run, or quality time with your toddler. These intentional pauses can help reset your emotions and refresh your mind. Bad days are natural. But how we respond to them? That’s what sets us apart as leaders. Control your reactions, lead by example, and watch how it transforms your team and your life. ♻️ Share this with your network to help those looking to learn more! #Leadership #EmotionalIntelligence #MindsetMatters

Daily exercise and a good nights sleep ward away all types of physical ailments. It builds your immune system, strengthens your muscles, creates new gateways in your brain, provides energy stores to your cells and many other benefits. These habits help you build resilience in your body. But how do you build resilience in your mind? You need to have a strong daily regiment to build your personal resilience. And in todays rapid change environment, personal resilience is more important than ever. We need to build our mental resilience to avoid getting overwhelmed by the constant barrage of change we experience everyday. In the PWC “Hopes and Fears Survey 2024” nearly two-thirds of employees say they’ve experienced more change at work in the last year than in the 12 months prior, and one-third of workers say they’ve experienced four or more significant changes at work in the last year, including to their team structures and daily job responsibilities. One of my mentees shared with me that they have had 4 managers in the last 12 months. Another shared that 50% of their team was laid off and the workload feels untenable. And a third reported that the charter of their team was changed without notice which has upended every project they were working on. While there is certainly a role that leaders, managers and organizations have in managing change better and in resourcing their teams effectively, there is also a burden that we each have to manage our own mental resiliency to lean into the change and learn through it. I believe that every change presents itself with an opportunity for growth and to build your own effectiveness. But it means we need to learn and then practice the skills to build that resiliency with the discipline necessary to apply it. Some practices like: 1. Practicing being present and not letting your mind dwell on past or future problems – but staying focused on one step at a time as you tackle the challenges and opportunities at hand. 2. Daily prioritization of what is critical, relevant and impactful and setting aside tasks that are not 3. Communicating with leaders, managers and peers about what change is happening and working to make sense of that change in your own mind – building out perspective and making meaning 4. Leaning on others for support to help you through the change and recognizing when you are feeling overwhelmed 5. Building strategies to help yourself when you get to the point of feeling overwhelmed – breathing exercises, meditation, taking walks, writing things down, stepping away are some of the mechanisms I have used to calm myself when I feel overwhelmed. Finding what works for you What are some practices and habits that you have found that have helped you build out your personal resiliency? #reslience #changemanagement #leadership #allies https://lnkd.in/gzRk2qey

💡 Think EQ is soft? It’s actually a superpower. Emotional intelligence doesn’t just make you nicer. It makes you more effective: → Better decisions → Stronger relationships → Calmer leadership under pressure But EQ isn’t something you’re born with or without. It’s built. One habit at a time. Here are 9 daily habits to sharpen your emotional edge: 👇 🔹 1. Start With Self-Awareness • Check in with your emotions before reacting • Notice physical cues like a tight chest or shallow breath • Journal one emotional trigger each day 🔹 2. Pause Before You React • Take a breath before replying when you feel triggered • Ask yourself, “What’s really going on here?” • Respond with intention instead of reflex. 🔹 3. Practice Active Listening • Give your full attention without planning your reply • Reflect back what you heard to show understanding • Listen for emotions, not just words. 🔹 4. Name the Emotion • Identify what you or someone else might be feeling • Say, “It sounds like you’re frustrated. Is that right?” • Don’t rush to fix it. Just acknowledge it 🔹 5. Own Your Mistakes • Admit it when you mess up without being defensive • Share what you learned and how you'll improve • Apologize clearly, without excuses 🔹 6. Seek Honest Feedback • Ask, “How did that come across to you?” • Invite input on your tone and impact • Say thank you, even if it’s uncomfortable 🔹 7. Set Boundaries Calmly • Use “I” statements to express your limits • Be clear about what you can and can’t do • Stay firm without guilt 🔹 8. Regulate Under Stress • Use breath, breaks, or movement to reset • Avoid dumping your stress on others • Notice when your patience is slipping and pause 🔹 9. Celebrate Emotional Wins • Say, “I handled that better today” when you do • Call out emotional intelligence in others • Reflect on your growth before the day ends ✨ Start with one. Then build on it. Emotional intelligence doesn’t shout. It compounds. 🧠 Which habit are you working on this week? ♻️ Repost if you're building EQ by design, not by accident. Follow me Kary Oberbrunner for more.