Why resilience is the key to career success

Why resilience is important

Resilience is one of the most important skills for your career and life.

• It allows you to cope with stress
• It helps you bounce back after a job rejection
• It helps you learn from your mistakes
• It allows you to take risks and deal with adversity

Layoffs are owning the headlines right now and it’s creating a lot of uncertainty for job seekers.

But the truth is, it’s still a great time to find new jobs, get promotions, learn skills and progress your career. There are 10.7M job openings right now on LinkedIn, that’s an increase of 437k+ from last month. Perspective matters.

No matter where you are in your career, you’ll face constant challenges and it’s how you deal with these moments that will determine your success.

By becoming more resilient, you’re training your mind to deal with pressure. And by setting up support systems, you develop self-confidence so you can handle change.

I’m hosting a free event TODAY (29 Nov) at 1pm to 1:30pm called “Building Resilience in an Uncertain World” with Bejay Mulenga and Lena Nasiakou – and I’d love for you to join us here!

You’ll learn techniques that will help you develop confidence and deal with challenges, as well as how to build a brilliant support system and network.

Resilience in the real world

I love this visual definition of resilience – Advancing Despite Adversity.

Let me take you through a couple of real-life examples.

Example 1

How does a professional athlete perform at the top level every week?

Think of the pressure a footballer experiences when taking a penalty at the World Cup.

Layer on top the tension of 80,000 fans watching in the stands and millions of people around the world. Plus, all of the media hype and clickbait headlines that will be written about you if you miss.

It takes resilience and confidence to execute in these moments.

Example 2

Entry-level job seekers have to be some of the most resilient people around.

As a graduate, I got hit with 50 job rejections and was unemployed for months. It had a huge impact on my mental health as I began to question my worth and doubt myself.

Funnily enough, learning how to emotionally deal with job search stress, failures and rejections weren’t taught to me at university…

It wasn’t until one year later that I adopted the mindset changes which helped me deal with the job search and ultimately become successful, securing offers and interviews for all my dream companies (including my current employer, BT). ?

Here’s what I did: ?

• I re-framed rejection as redirection, and an opportunity to learn ?
• I reached out to my network for advice and support
• I reached out to new people on LinkedIn to get industry insights
• I looked for incremental improvements and chunked my time
• I stopped letting other people’s opinions affect my self-worth
• I started eating healthy, going to the gym and getting into a routine
• I saw friends and family and became more balanced ?

Example 3:

Fast forward two years, I’d just signed my full-time contract to come off the BT graduate scheme and into a Marketing role. I also just signed my mortgage for my house. ?

Two weeks later, the business area I was in got sold. Two weeks after that, my manager told me she was quitting, just as I thought I was finally ‘figuring it out' and had some stability.

It was a really tough time. I felt shocked, nervous and uncertain. I started looking for new jobs and panicking about my mortgage. It was full-on crisis mode and doom and gloom for me.

But then I asked myself, who can I speak to about this? I reached out to my network:

• My previous manager helped me think logically – “take the emotion out of your decision-making and think long term.”
• The head of marketing in another part of the business helped me see an opportunity - she shared a similar story from her career.
• My mentor advised I step into my manager's role – “own it for 6 months, prove yourself, you can fast-track your career here Dan.”
• My girlfriend and family provided me with the emotional support I needed.

Those conversations that week were a TOTAL game changer.

My mindset was totally shifted. I weirdly felt excited by the opportunity within the chaos.

I took on the role of my manager, gained huge responsibility and delivered amazing results. My confidence sky rocketed as did my career trajectory.

Most importantly, I discovered the value of having a strong support system and network.

Building a strong support system

A support system is important for anyone who wants to build resilience, as it can provide you with the practical and emotional support you need during difficult times.

A strong network of mentors and peers can help take your career to new heights.

A strong network of family and friends can provide you with practical support, such as help with a childcare, transportation, or housing.

Make sure you have a good support network in place before you need it. Building a strong support system takes work.

I split it into 3 categories: Create, Nurture, Grow.

Let’s use a plant as a metaphor.

• Create would be like planting the seeds into the soil.
• Nurture would be watering the seed and adding nutrients.
• Grow would be, once the plant has surfaced, making sure that it has access to sunlight to flourish. ?

Create

Firstly, become aware of who your current network and support system by writing down all of the people in your network who you could go to for advice.

Then write down what type of problem and support you’d go to them for - this will give you a good idea of any gaps you might have in your network.

Next, we want to start planting those seeds with new people who can help us plug those gaps.

You can do this by socialising, going to networking events. But what’s even more efficient and scalable is using LinkedIn to find people - use the search filters, engage with their profile and content to build a relationship and DM them with something personal. You’ll be surprised how many amazing relationships you’ll be able to build on LinkedIn. ?

Nurture

It’s easy to lose contact with people, especially if you don’t speak with them regularly. So you need to make sure that you’re watering and nourishing those seeds.

I use an Excel sheet to track my networking journey. It contains who they are, where I found them and when I last spoke to them. Every few months, I check back in with a message to keep the relationship warm. You never know when those relationships may benefit you.

Also be there for others when they need help. When someone else is going through a tough time, offer support and encourage them to seek help if necessary. Show acts of kindness without expectation and, naturally, people will start to help you too. They’ll also be there for you when you need support in the future.

Grow

It’s easy to become complacent with your relationships. You never want people to feel like you take them for granted, especially if they’re close to you. Take time to dive deeper into the relationships that matter to you most. Learn what makes them tick and what they enjoy. Surprise them with something they don’t expect.

For example, a new connection might’ve mentioned that they love cappuccino with oat milk. Next time you meet, have one waiting for them. The small things matter. Get that plant some direct sunlight and watch it grow.

Keep finding new people, don’t just settle for your immediate circle. I recently listened to a podcast with Paul Brunson on the DOACEO and he said that most opportunities come from new relationships, not existing ones.?

I know that’s true for my own career and business. The relationships I’ve built in the last 3 months have helped me get promoted (increasing my salary by 50%+), grown my business with new partnerships, recommended new books for my development and invited me to fun and interesting events.

Asking for help

You don’t have to do this alone. You’ll become a much stronger, more confident and more resilient person by building your support system.

According to a study by the University of Cambridge, people who have a strong network of family and friends are more productive and happier than those who don't.

The study found that people with a strong network are more likely to have a positive outlook on life, be adaptable to change, and have higher levels of self-esteem. They are also less likely to experience loneliness or depression.

Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Our egos can get the better of us sometimes (I know mine did) but it takes a stronger person to open up and get help. If you're feeling overwhelmed or struggling to cope with your career or life, reach out to your colleagues, mentors, friends and family for support.

I hope you enjoyed reading this! Become more resilient and you’ll be able to deal with this uncertain world that we live in and find more career success and fulfilment. ?

All the best,

Dan