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Welcome

Happy Saturday and where ever you are in the world I hope you have all had a great week and led your teams well with empathy and accountability.

This past few weeks have been a busy with lots of travels and weddings which is always great. But this got me thinking about when things are busy and there are a lot of deadlines in work topped off with a busy personal life its in these moments that we are susceptible to errors and mistakes.

As people we need to have resiliency to help us pick ourselves up when things go wrong. This isn’t just hugely important for mental health stand point but to help us develop and grow in our roles. We make mistakes to learn. This is at least my view, that when things go wrong then we need to be thinking about not about the mistake but what can we learn from this to help us move forward.

The Importance of Resilience in teams

Resilience is more than just bouncing back from setbacks—it’s about adapting, learning, and growing stronger through challenges. As a manager, building a resilient team ensures that your group can handle uncertainty, navigate change, and maintain focus during difficult times.

For first-time managers, fostering resilience means creating an environment where challenges are seen as opportunities and setbacks become stepping stones to success. As new leader it can be really easy to fall into the mindset of we can’t fail we just need to deliver. But I would state that you are still having your IC mindset play out here. You are focusing on the outcome and not the journey of getting there, which as we all know can be varied with different routes.

Being a new leader you should be thinking about how to leverage errors and mistakes as learning opportunities not as opportunities to chastise your team.

Why Resilience Matters in High-Performing Teams

A resilient team is better equipped to handle:

• Unexpected Changes: Whether it’s a sudden shift in priorities or external disruptions, resilient teams stay adaptable.

• Stress and Pressure: Resilient teams maintain their performance and morale even when facing tight deadlines or high workloads. Also this is great for peoples personal mental health.

• Continuous Improvement: They see mistakes and challenges as learning opportunities, leading to greater innovation and growth.

When resilience becomes part of your team culture, you create a group that thrives on challenges rather than being overwhelmed by them.

Practical Strategies for Building Resilience

Here are some actionable tips to help you foster resilience in your team:

1. Encourage a Growth Mindset:

• What it Means: Teach your team to view challenges as opportunities to learn and grow rather than as failures.

• How to Implement: Share examples of how mistakes have led to improvements in your own work. Highlight team members’ efforts to try new approaches, even if they didn’t succeed initially.

2. Normalise Setbacks as Part of the Process:

• What it Means: Help your team understand that setbacks are a natural part of progress.

• How to Implement: After a setback, hold a debrief to discuss what happened, what was learned, and how to improve moving forward.

3. Foster Team Connection:

• What it Means: Teams that trust and support each other are more resilient.

• How to Implement: Encourage collaboration on projects, celebrate team wins, and create opportunities for connection through regular check-ins or team-building activities. Create spaces for an open dialogue and feedback loops, this will help in building out spaces for enhancing trust across the team.

4. Model Resilience as a Leader:

• What it Means: Your behaviour sets the tone for your team. Show them how to stay calm and focused under pressure.

• How to Implement: Share how you handle stress and demonstrate a positive attitude during challenging times.

5. Support Mental Health and Well-Being:

• What it Means: Resilience is tied to mental health. A healthy, supported team is better equipped to handle stress.

• How to Implement: Encourage regular breaks, check in on workloads, and promote work-life balance.

Using the LEAD+M Framework to Build Resilience

The LEAD+M framework provides a practical structure for fostering resilience:

• Lead: Model resilience by staying composed and solution-focused during challenges.

• Engage: Create an environment where team members feel safe to share concerns and ideas.

• Act with Purpose: Help your team connect their daily tasks to a larger mission, which gives meaning to their efforts.

• Develop: Offer opportunities for skill-building so team members feel equipped to handle future challenges.

• Mental Health: Promote a culture of support by checking in regularly on your team’s well-being and encouraging open conversations about stress.

Questions to Build Resilience in Your Team

Use these questions in 1:1s or team meetings to encourage reflection and resilience:

1. “What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced recently, and what did you learn from it?”

2. “How can I better support you during stressful times?”

3. “What’s one thing we could do as a team to handle change more effectively?”

4. “What resources or skills would help you feel more prepared for future challenges?”

5. “What strategies help you stay focused and motivated during tough times?”

Book Recommendation:

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

Overview:

Angela Duckworth’s Grit explores how passion and perseverance are critical for success. Duckworth shares research-backed insights into why talent alone isn’t enough, and how cultivating grit helps individuals and teams achieve long-term goals, even in the face of obstacles.

Takeaways for New Leaders

1. Effort Trumps Talent:

   • Recognise and reward effort, persistence, and hard work. Success comes from consistently showing up and doing the work, even when it’s tough.

2. Encourage Passion and Purpose:

   • Help your team connect their work to a larger purpose. Passion fuels perseverance, and purpose keeps people committed during tough times.

3. Foster a Growth Mindset:

   • Promote the idea that skills can be developed through effort and practice. Encourage your team to embrace challenges and learn from mistakes.

4. Be a Role Model for Grit:

   • Show your team what grit looks like by staying resilient, optimistic, and committed to long-term goals.

That’s a wrap for this week, please do let me know your thoughts and how I can improve this newsletter for you as a leader. Simply complete this short survey here