Resiliency in the face of personal and organizational adversity

By Gregory L. Neal, FACHE

Try as we might, adversity is something we are unable to avoid. It can be any variety of difficulty, often unexpected, that comes into our lives––a cancer diagnosis, a harsh public criticism, a mistake or accident with an unwelcome outcome, an economic downturn or even a pandemic or natural disaster.

It seems that just when we think we’re living the dream life; a great marriage, beautiful children, and a comfortable home, that our world can be rocked in the most unexpected way. Our world was shaken when a cancer diagnosis appeared without warning into our family.  We grew so much during the difficult journey through the treatment. (Thankfully, we are now cancer-free.) Cancer wasn’t the last adversity we would experience, either. 2020 brought unique challenges to us all, and for me, “unprecedented” took on even greater meaning with an experience that has presented opportunities to learn and grow personally, professionally and spiritually.

What is the antidote to adversity?

Our response to adversity is proportional to how prepared we are to act when faced with difficult challenges, our ability to walk with grace through the fires that test us, and the resilience we need to bounce back.

Is resilience something you have naturally or something you can acquire? The good news is it’s probably a little (or a lot) of both. There is hope for us all.

Rooted in my worldview as a follower of Christ, my faith has been a source of resilience. I’m confident that adversities I experience are not random acts by the cosmic universe. It isn’t karma. I believe God is good all the time and that even adversity is ultimately for my good in some way. While it might be painful and something I would not choose to experience, I try to see these circumstances as something useful when I look back in hindsight. I am not a victim, nor do I deserve a life completely free of hardship. Humility is a blessing, and we can all benefit from more of it.

From scripture, we know that it’s not a matter of if, but when, we will encounter various trials, but we can take comfort from Romans 8:28 which reminds us, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” What is “good” isn’t always what is comfortable or pleasant, and it certainly may not reveal itself as quickly as we’d like. When we faced a diagnosis of cancer, we knew it would work out for the greater good as it deepened relationships and redefined life’s priorities. In large measure, thanks to a loving and skilled oncology team who gave us hope that it was fixable, but in greater measure to a loving God who assures us He will never leave us or forsake us.  And, while the journey was a painful, often tear-filled epic, there was much good in it through the invaluable lessons we learned as we worked through the experience and the kindness of others.

There are abundant examples of hope in history and countless redemption stories. We all love a good comeback story. Abraham Lincoln experienced multiple failures in his personal and political career before being elected president in 1860. Despite his earlier failures, he is unquestionably one of our country’s greatest presidents.

Reggie Jackson, heralded as “Mr. October” for his reputation as a post-season clutch homerun hitter, holds the record for most career strikeouts by a batter (2,597). But, he also had 2,584 hits in his 21-season career.

Walt Disney, the most well-known cartoonist in the world and creator of iconic characters, rose to this stature after dropping out of high school and overcoming multiple business failures. Of the challenges he faced, he said, “All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

How do you build a network to strengthen your resiliency?

Resiliency can be built with the support of mentors and colleagues and a network of relationships with people who will speak the truth to you, encourage you, and guide you in your efforts to move forward.

Your success is reflected in the people with whom you surround yourself.

• Know your values and align yourself with and focus on people who will encourage and hold you accountable to be true to yourself.
• Invest your time in a few trusted people with whom you can be vulnerable and have transparent conversations.

In her 2018 book “Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts,” Brené Brown recommends an exercise to identify those people whose opinions truly matter to you. Of all the people in your sphere, whose influence in your life matters most? Settle in your own mind the people or types of people about whose opinions you really care. Those are the relationships in which to invest.

If you’ve ever been in a weight-training room and bench-pressed, you know to really push yourself you need a spotter, someone who will be there when things get too heavy, to make sure the weight doesn’t crush you.

I’ve learned the importance of having trusted spotters in my life to help me professionally, spiritually, and emotionally. These are those few, those vital few, in whom you can rest assured will always be there: to speak the truth to you in love, to pick you up when you fall, to cry with you when it hurts, to cheer you on when you’re blessed with success. For these spotters, your relationship is not transactional; it is unconditional. We all need them, for the wellbeing of ourselves and the organizations we lead, especially when the need is to accelerate through adversity.

Adversity on the organization level

When organizations face adversity, resiliency comes from nurturing the health of the team before the trouble develops. The healthier the organization, the better equipped to maintain unity and come through the difficulty stronger than ever.

What does a healthy organization look like? The health of the organization is not merely financial success. An organization with the strongest balance sheet can still be unhealthy at its core, robbing it of achieving its full potential.

Chick-fil-A’s founder, S. Truett Cathy, built a wildly successful, people-centered corporate culture by:

• Assuming the best in others. Trust your colleagues and believe they come to work with the best intentions to help the team be successful (rather than harboring selfish motives).
• Wanting the best for others. Genuinely want others to fulfill their dreams and finding joy in helping them along the way.
• Expecting the best from others. In authentic, collegial relationships it is safe – and expected – that we will call out one another when we aren’t showing up at our best. We balance that with the knowledge we aren’t perfect and never will be, so we must have the grace to accept that mistakes will be made and disappointment will occur even with those we’re closest to and who have the best intentions.

Remember that earlier weight-room analogy? Here’s another fact about weight training. You get stronger when you work your muscles. That requires knowledge, stress, and recovery, useful steps in building muscles as well as resiliency.

• Knowing your blind spots and keeping your “spotters” close by your side will help magnify your strengths and mitigate your vulnerabilities.
• Lean into what you do best and when adversity comes, don’t quit. Press on, knowing that working through the pain with wise coaching will only make you stronger.
• Recovering from a hard workout or life event is aided by healthy habits for stress management; exercise, prayer, journaling, or any activity that brings you perspective on the journey. Connect with people who encourage you and contribute to keeping your bucket of hope full.

Healthy organizations can better manage adversity, come through challenges as a better organization, and better face future adversity. Positive change and initiating constant improvements improve the health of the organization. Like the people within it, an organization is never perfect and will never be perfect. Be obsessed with getting as close to perfect as possible by being true to your core values, continually innovating, developing and implementing new ideas that create value for the organization, its team members, and its customers.

It is often repeated that “nobody likes change.” But, really, who doesn’t like positive change? Building and accelerating positive change requires a different cultural perspective. Rather than feeling shoved in an environment where "we have to make this change," nurture a positive culture that draws everyone into the inspirational opportunity that lies within the idea that "we get to make this change!" Do that well and you’ll have an army of volunteers willing to step up to meet any challenge.

Even in the most traumatic circumstances, individually or organizationally, we can be grounded in the truth that in the midst of pain there can emerge great opportunity for positive growth. Uninvited trials can be the blunt instrument needed to push us into making positive changes we otherwise may never have discovered. Embrace the fact that the very thing you would never have invited into your life or your organization may well be leading you to fulfilling a higher purpose, more rewarding work, and deeper and more genuine relationships.

In the end, remember you are unlikely to manage adversity of any magnitude alone. Would you be in a healthy place if you had to go it alone? Whether it’s cancer, or criticism, or a crisis beyond your worst nightmare, it’s imperative we don’t try to face it in isolation. No one should have to feel abandoned on their worst day. 2020 brought unimaginable trauma to many who faced isolation and illness, joblessness and hopelessness. Surely, we can see the importance, now more than ever, to invest in building and sustaining resiliency in one another. It will improve the quality of our lives, our teams, our communities, and our world.