What do you do if your leader's decision-making process is affected by a lack of resilience?

When dealing with perceived resilience gaps in leadership, it’s crucial to approach with empathy and understanding. Acknowledge the unique challenges leaders face and seek to understand their perspectives through open dialogue. Offer your support, setting an example of resilience within your role. Promote a culture that views challenges as growth opportunities. If providing feedback, ensure it’s empathetic and constructive, focusing on behaviors rather than personal attributes. Recognize the limits of your influence and concentrate on your contributions, understanding that change ultimately lies with individuals and the organizational framework.

The leader is failing to motivate the team. Is it that he is not making the objectives, targets more clear, distinct, attractive. The team members views are important to understand this. If it is so, if the resilience is getting lost on the path of execution, the path needs to be cleaned with clear mile posts and re-emphasising the goal to be reached at the end of chosen path. A dialogue as to how the journey is progressing ,what is required and at each stage,is a must.The leader needs to reemphasise the end target , the collective as well as individual benefits more frequently.

I recommend first to evaluate the impact on your team and decision-making process. Consider whether it has led to missed opportunities, poor risk management, or declining morale then approach this assessment with empathy, understanding that resilience can be affected by stress, burnout, or difficult circumstances. By pinpointing specific areas of concern, you can tailor your approach to effectively support your leader and improve team outcomes.

When a leader's decision-making is hampered or clouded by a lack of resilience, then it is crucial to address the issue with empathy and support. Initiating a private, respectful conversation to express concerns and offer assistance can be beneficial. Encouraging the leader to seek feedback, consider diverse perspectives, and engage in resilience-building activities like stress management, mindfulness, and scenario planning can help. It’s also vital to foster a supportive environment that values resilience as a collective asset, encouraging continuous learning and adaptation. By following the above steps, the leader can develop a more resilient approach to decision-making, benefiting the entire team and the organisation.

I recommend observing the outcomes of decisions, particularly under pressure, identifying patterns of avoidance, hasty choices, or a tendency to shift blame. I also communicate directly, asking probing questions that reveal the leader's thought process and emotional state during critical moments. Additionally, feedback from team members provides invaluable insights into the leader's effectiveness and areas for growth. Strengthening a leader's resilience involves coaching on emotional intelligence, stress management techniques, and scenario planning to enhance their ability to withstand, adapt, and thrive amidst challenges.

I've found that when a team lacks resilience (due to lack of capacity, skills, etc.), it creates constraints in our system, which in turn creates a downstream effect from strategic decisions down to tactical execution. Hiring to fill in gaps is important, but so is cross training. I attack training objectives and push training opportunities in order to skill them up. If a leader is struggling with resilience, then I work to develop their confidence and plan for resilience (succession planning, business continuity planning, agility), which may include training, conferences, and mentorship.

Suggesting Delegation: in my experience if a leader is lacking tenacity, let’s say, in such a manner that they may be overwhelmed by work / even (dis)stressed, then it is a delicate option to suggest that they should delegate. This will hopefully help, reduce their workload & allow them to make more effective decisions on key points, without undermining their overall leadership.

From a team perspective, it's essential to create a supportive environment that promotes resilience-building for everyone, including the leader. Prioritize open communication and psychological safety, this helps team members to share their concerns and discuss potential solutions without fear of negative consequences. Encourage collaboration to develop strategies that help mitigate the impact of your leader's lack of resilience on decision-making. A strong team dynamic can serve as a buffer against stressors and provide the necessary encouragement for the leader to improve their resilience.

More often than not the pressures that a leader faces distance far beyond the workplace. Middle and senior middle leaders especially are tested, even at their homefront between growing kids, aging, parents, financial pressures et cetera Resilience, therefore is tested beyond the four doors of the workplace . It’s important to be empathetic towards the leaders and be available for conversation, reflection and support , whether this is provided internally or externally

One thing that I have found helpful with some leaders is to discourage reflection on individual decisions and encourgage reflection of an aggregation of decions. I once asked a client to keep a log of decisions he made for a one month duration. (He did not like journaling.) When we next met, I asked him to briefly recount issue and his verdict on each decision he had made. He stopped about half way through, looked up and said "I obviously have a bias that is affecting my decisions related to peope/employees." And it was pretty obvious. So we were able to discuss the low value he placed on people decisions prefering to move on to more financially related issues on which he took more time and did deeper analyses.

Encourage Self-Reflection: Encourage the leader to reflect on their decision-making process and its outcomes. Ask open-ended questions such as: When have taken a decision that you were proud of? What factors influenced your decision? How did you respond to adversity or setbacks? What were the consequences of your decision? What did you learn from this experience?

Promoting work-life balance is essential, especially if an overworked leader is showing signs of decreased resilience. Encourage your leader to set clear boundaries between work and personal time, emphasizing the importance of rest and disconnection for mental health and decision-making capacity. Suggest practical strategies like delegating tasks, prioritizing responsibilities, and taking regular breaks. Highlight the benefits of a balanced lifestyle not just for them, but also for the team and the organization as a whole, as it can lead to increased productivity, creativity, and overall job satisfaction.

In my experience, a tool called the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) has helped staff and leadership no matter at what stage they are. These are in addition to what you have already mentioned. They are skills that help us return to the “OK” zone if we have been activated and bumped out. Life stresses can do this. It can look like anxiety, anger, fear, irritation… when the nervous system becomes disregulated. We begin reacting rather than responding. There are 6 skills that make up CRM. There is a free app called IChill available in your phone’s app. store. Happy to talk to anyone about building resiliency!

Work life balance is the most spoken about and perhaps still the most misunderstood concept in my mind. And this I speak from my own experience as an entrepreneur running multiple businesses as well as leading a young team and trying my best to fulfil responsibilities at home. There is no quick fix to this and any attempt at trying to give people the comfort that work life balance is achievable in the short run to perfection is definitely going to set them up for disappointment. To my mind work life balance is a journey much like health and fitness where you create a certain set of rituals and try your best to keep following them consistently and know that with consistent practice of rituals the needle will move.

In my experience, it's essential to create an open dialogue culture where vulnerabilities are shared without judgment. This involves regular check-ins and establishing psychological safety. Access to resources like coaching, resilience workshops, and peer support groups empowers the leader to develop coping strategies and resilience. Additionally, promoting collaborative decision-making distributes the burden and enriches the decision process with diverse insights. Celebrating small victories and learning from setbacks are crucial for instilling a sense of progress and positivity. This comprehensive support assists the leader in developing resilience and strengthens the organizational culture.

Convert feedback to a conversation conversation where you’re offering help Catch early trends and offer support by listening as opposed to waiting for the person to fault show cracks and then go back to them with post-mortem feedback. So the whole conversation about offering support should be one that is continuous and integrated into the rituals and practises of team interactions.

Absolutely ! encouraging an open communication about the need to adapt to more resilient driven decisions would be the best way to address this subject, however , this has to happen without offending the leader , it has to come part of an open and honest discussion as the leader has to align his / her thoughts with company's objectives in order to build a better resiliency.

You have to fill in the gaps for your leader and fill voids. If your leader lacks resilience, in this case, then you have to absorb the blow and any raw or caustic response. Then just like shock absorbers on a vehicle, ensure that the rest of the vehicle (or team) doesnt over-correct and continues to move down the road. If your leader lacks resilience, you need to ensure that the message is also communicated that there are in fact possible better outcomes.

Begin by identifying resilience gaps through self-assessment and feedback. Target these areas with resilience training, mentorship, and establishing support systems, enhancing the leader's ability to manage stress and recover from setbacks. Simultaneously, build a robust leadership team to ensure diverse insights and shared responsibilities support decisions. This reduces the risk tied to a single leader's vulnerability.

Go beyound the obvious and assess the root cause. Measure traits and behaviours that are affecting resilience and the lack of it. Provide support, development, coaching and/or mentoring. Talk and listen. Solve the cause, solve the problem.

In my experience, when a leader's decisions seem constrained by limited resilience, the key is to introduce 'tactical adaptability coaching.' This nuanced approach involves one-on-one sessions focused on specific resilience-building exercises tailored to their unique leadership style and challenges. Through these targeted interventions, you can help the leader develop a more agile mindset, enabling them to navigate adversity with greater ease and confidence, thereby enhancing the quality and resilience of their decision-making.

Managing a leader whose decision-making is impacted by a lack of resilience necessitates a thoughtful approach. One often-neglected aspect in this context is proactive intervention. Proactive intervention involves addressing the root causes of the leader's resilience issues. This could entail providing resources for stress management, offering coaching or mentoring, or encouraging self-care practices. By taking proactive steps to support the leader's well-being, teams can contribute to improved decision-making and overall team effectiveness.

I feel as a leader you face lots of situations and carry huge accountability for self, team, other stakeholders impacted by your actions and decisions. So 1st respect it as a situation rather than linking to a person. Hence- 1. Be an active listener and probe softly to understand the situation. 2. Acknowledge what you listen and support to come on the stage of what the overall actions and impact decisions will carry 3. List down the actions and expectation driving required a positive outcome. Even with doubt keep a list to revisit and link the dots as part of the overall journey, if relevant. 4. Along with business delivery and aggression do analyse the decision and action from emotional IQ to tweak the impact or action for people support