It's a growth journey

Cultivating emotional resilience is a leader’s number one job in these disruptive times.

- EILEEN MCDARGH

Pivot. Punt. Pretend. Procrastinate. These are all words leaders might say out loud (or to themselves) as the world moves into the continuous uncertainty brought about by a pandemic that is more than a temporary crisis. The ‘normal’ factors of our lives have all been smashed: where we work, how we work, whom we see, what we feel, how we educate our children, and which industries are destined to close their doors forever.

None of us have ever been in a disaster that circles the globe with no end in sight.

What does this mean for those in leadership positions? Cultivating emotional resilience in ourselves and others has now become job number one. What makes this so difficult is that our logical brain seeks to find data, facts, and tried-and-true methods to move through this situation. We scramble to tune up our technology, change marketing strategies, find other revenue sources, or make cost-cutting decisions, all while doubling down on being rational and analytical.

Now, that is all very practical. But it is not where emotional resilience resides. Instead, emotional resilience resides in our limbic brain, which seeks feelings of trust, transparency, courage, and compassion.

Resilience is about growth