Image by Wokandapix from Pixabay
Since the global health pandemic hit, you've probably seen and heard the word resilience a lot. It seems to mean many different things depending on the context and, unfortunately, is often misused.
According to MacMillian Dictionary, the noun resilience, meaning 'the act of rebounding,' was first used in the 1620s and was derived from the Latin term resilire, which means to recoil or rebound.
By the mid-nineteenth century, watchmakers used the term resilience to refer to the flexible qualities of internal components that prevented excessive vibration. In the 1850s, resilience was used to describe being resistant or not susceptible to something. In physics, resilience is the ability of an elastic material (such as rubber or animal tissue) to absorb energy (such as from a blow) and release that energy as it springs back to its original shape.
As you can see, the term resilience adapted to the context in which it was used. It can mean very different things depending on who uses the term and how it is being applied. When I refer to resilient people, I'm describing individuals who adapt successfully in the presence of risk and adversity and bounce back, and possibly bounce forward, from setbacks, trauma, and high stress.
When the term resilience is misused, it can confuse and undermine efforts to improve or maintain our wellbeing. That's why it's also essential to understand what resilience is not. Here are four things resilience is not:
Resilience Isn’t Strength
Resilience is not about being strong. You may be familiar with Aesop’s fable about an oak tree and some reeds. The oak tree bragged about being strong and staying straight and unbending during many storms. While the reeds were not strong, their flexibility and adaptability helped them survive a great hurricane when the oak tree fell. Resilience is about being more like the reeds instead of the oak tree.
Resilience Isn’t Grit
Resilience is also not grit, which is a sustained, consistent effort toward a goal. Perseverance can be a valuable ability but can cause harm when the right action would be to change direction or quit. Resilience involves knowing when to persevere and when to quit.
Resilience Doesn’t Fix Abuse
Resilience is not the solution to toxic leadership or an abusive work environment. These types of damaging environments can quickly erode team members' resilience, no matter what they do. While some people can survive this type of work environment, they will not thrive. In this situation, resilience is a Band-Aid on a gaping wound. Leaders need to remove toxic individuals and improve the work environment before they focus on building resilience.
Resilience Isn’t All About You
Finally, resilience is not all about you. Someone who is highly resilient can harm people with low resilience if they aren't careful. Focusing only on your wellbeing contributes to the dark side of resilience. We can be so good at taking care of ourselves that we neglect those around us or put too much pressure on people with unrealistic expectations. The best resilience ensures the health and wellbeing of everyone on our teams and in our communities.
How do you define resilience? What do you think resilience is not?
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To learn more about how you and your team can thrive in adversity, visit my website, and follow me on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. And, check out my online Resilience Leadership course.