Day 24: Resilience Theory Formula
Bexs Nelson, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM
PMO & Operations Expert with Measured Results | PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM | I help Customer Service Reps transition to joy in Project Management Careers
Job market attitudes change rapidly. This summer so far is a prime example of that. I saw a lot of people upskilling and innovating at the start of the year while they were learning the market and now diving into a new phase of their job searches. Layoffs happened. Now it feels like they are trending.
It's gone from speculative to down in the trenches and duke it out. People who were hesitant are now asking for help/assistance in hiring as summer nears its peak and time is running out to relocate before kids need to resume school, student loans are still up in the air for many of us who have them, and gas prices are high and so much more.
Tough times all around.
There is a thing in Psychology called Resilience Theory. It basically states that the most important thing isn't the nature of the adversity but how we deal with it that shapes the outcomes we experience. There is a business theory also that shares the same name. It refers to our ability to manage the crisis and continue our business goals when a risk or change appears.
The basic formula though is the same.
External Obstacle or Crisis + Internal Mindset = Outcome You Experience
Simple math time now. If you have a negative external adversity/crisis and add in a negative mindset, you are only increasing the negative outcomes you are experiencing. If your mindset can trump the outcome, it may still be negative but it has lessened. If you have a strong positive mindset, you may be even able to pivot a hard time into an opportunity.
That is what innovation is all about. An Agile approach gives you the direction. Resilience gives you the power. Innovation is the outcome. You get to see through a negative outcome to at least mitigate it with innovation, if not surpass it.
When it comes to job searching, getting 5 rejections in one day or seeing them repost the position you are perfect for but they were "going in a different direction" can sting. Apparently, that direction was back-to-the-drawing-board. It can discourage you from wanting to put in your hours into your search today. Or it can prompt you to connect up to 5 new people in the company that are creators and active on LinkedIn, follow their work for a while, engage in their content, ultimately connect with them, then reattempt in a month if you still haven't found a job. But this time they are recommending you for it.
Or you can ask if that company is really right for you after all? Perhaps styles will just never click. Minimizing wasted effort on things that don't matter will help your resilience be saved for the times that do down the road. Keep 80% of your energy doing the 20% of most impactful tasks that get you closer to your goal.
Just imagine what will happen when the world isn't working against you through obstacle after obstacle! Then again, how would we grow?
Bexs
Job Search Like a Project Manager Series:
Strategic B2B Branding & Design | Director of SKALE Creative Co | I build captivating, High-Impact Brands | #Branding #CreativeDevelopment #HighImpactBrands #StrategicBranding
2 年Great article! Now I’m going to be going through the whole set?? GRIT=success Thank you so much!