The 9 strategies you need to be a resilient leader

One thing I know to be true about the amazing people who lead in charities (at all levels) is that they are incredibly hard on themselves. They choose to do a job which focuses on the needs of others, (and want to make the world a better place) and added to this is that they work in a sector which is constantly demanding more for less. Where most leadership posts mean you’re doing the work of more than one person. Is it any wonder we’re facing a burnout crisis?

But what I also hear time and time again, is that they feel that they need to be more resilient. It is their fault they’re exhausted, feeling overwhelmed and depleted. They believe that every organisation in the sector is the same and are resigned to feeling like this. But feeling like this and trying to work through it is a sure route to poor leadership. You’re not going to be able to work effectively, support your teams, or meet the aims of the organisation. And you’re going to be missing out outside of work whilst you use your precious time to recover.

Whilst I truly believe that organisational wellbeing, and the prevention of burnout is about (a lot) more than resilience, there are ways to manage how you’re feeling and build your resilience. And whilst many leaders don’t think they have the time to think about or prioritise their own wellbeing, it’s not only important for you, but it’s also important so that you can support your teams, and ultimately the communities you serve.

You need to put on your own oxygen mask before anyone else’s’.

There’s no such thing as a ‘resilient person’, our resilience is based on our access on external resources and our ability to draw on our personal strengths to ensure that we have sufficient energy, and the ability to bounce back from the challenges we face

So, with that in mind here are 9 essential skills and strategies to help you build & maintain your resilience.

1. Look after your physical health

We all know this, but getting enough sleep, eating well, and exercising are essential. You need to work out how you can prioritise these for you — there’s no one size fits all approach.

2. Know your energisers

We all have tasks and activities which give us energy, and those which drain us. Spend some time considering your daily tasks and whether they energise you or not. Use opportunities to increase those which energise you, and plan those which don’t for when you have more energy.

3. Let go of control

We often worry about everything at work, the things we can control and the things we can’t. But we can’t change the things we can’t control, so we need to let these go, and focus on what we can control.

4. Choose realistic optimism

Cultivating an optimistic outlook will help you build your resilience. I’m not talking toxic positivity where you pop our fingers in our ears and pretend everything is great. Instead take a realistic approach to a challenge but look for the positive within that.

5. Consider alternative perspectives

When we’re under stress, when our resilience is waning our focus narrows, we can’t see the wood for the trees. Take steps to broaden your perspective by intentionally changing your position, or by asking trusted people for alternative views.

6. Get to know your emotions

We can often try to push away the emotions which are uncomfortable, we don’t want to feel them, but here’s the thing, they’re trying to help us out. Try naming them, taking the time to notice them, accept them, and use tools to soothe them.

7. Make time for relationships

When we’re stressed, busy or overwhelmed it’s easy for us to shut down, and take time away from family, friends, acquaintances. But our relationships are one of the most important things to bolster our resilience. Think about your loved ones, close friends and friends, would haven’t you had contact with or seen lately? Who can you reach out?

8. Do things which feel good (and make you laugh)

Again, as stress starts to take over, we can stop doing things we enjoy, and make us happy. This is the exact time we need to be focusing on them. Those positive emotions will help bolster your resilience.

9. Remember your purpose

This is both a blessing and a curse for charity leaders. You likely have a strong sense of purpose, otherwise you probably wouldn’t be working for a charity, but it’s also the reason we see so much burnout, the reason you push yourself so hard. And if you’re in this position, you might have lost touch with the meaning in your work, so give yourself the opportunity on why you do this work, and what matters outside of work.

If this list feels overwhelming, instead of thinking focusing on what feels impossible, or can’t be done. First of all, try the one thing which feels doable, and will bring you the greatest impact, and go from there.

And if you need someone to help you through the process, let’s chat.