The Resilience Paradox: Understanding Adverse Leadership Outcomes

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~ Marcus Aurelius

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The importance of resilience is being highlighted repeatedly in posts, articles, books, courses, programs, and TED talks!

However, resilience is a quality often associated with enhanced performance...

Can paradoxically also lead to?adverse outcomes for executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs.

It's essential to be aware of these potential pitfalls and a facet that should be more frequently discussed.

RESILIENT STRESS MINDSET

The first pitfall is a stress-enhancing or?resilient?stress mindset!

This mindset occurs when executives, leaders, or entrepreneurs in dynamic business environments see stress as an asset that helps them manage challenging situations.

It allows them to engage in active coping behaviours to face and overcome obstacles and challenges rather than avoid them.

It's generally a good thing!

PERCEPTION OF WILLPOWER

The second pitfall is based on how people view?willpower!

Some?executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs view willpower as a limited resource that depletes over time, while others don't hold this view because they see it as something they can extend through more significant personal effort.

Those with a 'non-finite view of willpower' believe it is not a limited resource that depletes over time. Instead, they see it as something they can extend through more significant personal effort.

This mindset often leads to greater resilience!

However, it's important to note that executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs with these more resilient characteristics sometimes receive more negative evaluations from those they lead or their superiors.

This outcome is often due to a perceived lack of empathy and teamwork!

EMPATHY AND TEAMWORK

When executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs develop their mindsets to be more resilient and less prone to feeling overwhelmed, especially in the events they perform best, they may also project that perspective onto those around them.

They don't realise that some of those they lead have a lower threshold for dealing with stress and that some things that don't feel like a big deal or stressful to them are indeed a big deal and cause tremendous stress.

This approach makes executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs less likely to encourage and support those struggling, and they may unintentionally overlook the needs of others in their pursuit of resilience!

These actions do not reflect their empathy but remind executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs of the importance of understanding others' perspectives.

A crucial aspect of exemplary and effective leadership that should be noticed!

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

When considering someone for a leadership position...

Evaluating them as an individual performer is vital!

However, selecting those few who are good at working with others is also essential, specifically for those they will lead.

Another key to exemplary leadership is understanding and respecting the diverse perspectives of others - an ability known as perspective-taking.

PERSPECTIVE TAKING

For example, suppose executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs have trained to develop a resilient mindset and regulate their stress response under challenging situations.

In that case, it's essential to remember that others around them may have had different training!

Because executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs' world views are not necessarily those of others, so, consequently, comparing them with their own is essential.

When they have the strength to be pillars for those they lead when things get rough...

Executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs step into that role with encouragement and support as a clear expression of their exemplary leadership.

Because eventually, those they lead?can only succeed when leadership succeeds!

THE RESILIENCE PARADOX

Considering the shared information and understanding the resilience paradox and the connected adverse outcomes...

Is crucial for all exemplary executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs in dynamic business environments!

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#LeadershipDevelopment #ExemplaryLeadership #LeadershipResilience