As a reminder, my definition of Resilience is “Springing Forward with Learning”.
I thought I would make sure I gave you clarity on what that is in this issues article!
However, it would be good if you take a moment to really think about how you learn. What is it that enables you to change your behaviour? As learning more often than not, requires behaviour change – actually “doing” something different.
Humans can find this hard to do a lot of the time as our brains are hard-wired to take the path of least resistance – the “easy” route.
So – how do you learn?
“Resilience springing forward with learning” is a mindset shift from simply “bouncing back” to actively growing stronger through challenges.
It involves reflecting, adapting, and using adversity as a driving force for positive transformation and skill development.
It means pausing to learn from mistakes and successes – ultimately building new skills, and moving forward into a better, more focused state, rather than just returning to “the norm.”
By developing this growth mindset – where people are ready to learn, grow, embrace change and spring forward – you’ll encourage the team around you to be motivated, empowered and committed.
The key elements of “springing forward with learning” are:
- Developing a growth mindset – viewing challenges as learning opportunities, and treating failure as a lesson;
- Creating “transformative” resilience: don’t just “bounce back” but emerge stronger – learning from stress and failure to create new opportunities;
- Demonstrating “proactive” momentum: Rather than remaining passive, be action-orientated by setting goals, adapting to change, embracing new opportunities, and achieving future goals, rather than being passive.
I now want to consider how, as a Leader you can enable others to “spring forward with learning.”
I hope you find my checklist helpful.
- Encourage a Growth Mindset: Promote the belief that abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. Consider failures and setbacks as valuable learning opportunities – rather than insurmountable obstacles.
- Lead by example: Demonstrate your commitment to your own personal and professional development. When your colleagues see you prioritising learning, they’ll quickly follow your lead.
- Align learning with business goals: Ensure your learning and development programmes are aligned to organisational strategic objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs).
- Identify Skill Gaps: Understand the current capabilities of your workforce and highlight what skills are needed for future growth and market demands.
- Make learning accessible: Use communication platforms to ensure learning resources and opportunities are easily accessible to all employees, anytime and anywhere.
- Encourage social learning: Facilitate peer-to-peer learning through mentorship programmes, coaching partners, discussion groups, and collaborative projects.
- Design individual training plans: Help employees create personal development plans with clear, measurable goals (SMART goals) aligned to career aspirations.
- Review: Constantly track the impact of learning programmes on business metrics and use this data to refine your strategy and ensure continuous improvement.
By taking these steps, you’ll embed learning into the fabric of your business operations – ensuring your team and company are resilient, innovative, and prepared for future challenges and opportunities.
Russell
