Change resilience is crucial to surviving the unpredictable perils of working in today’s world. Alas, most people do a pretty lousy job a nurturing their resilience. True rresilience requires that you shift from a reactive position to a proactive and responsive one. Proactive Resilience (a term I coined) encompasses all the things one needs to do in anticipation of any type of change that might occur, in exactly the same way that a pilot prepares all the systems prior to flying in anticipation of any peril that the aircraft might encounter.
Here’s what you can do to boost your Proactive Resilience:
- Foster ‘Healthy Paranoia’. A pilot and her crew are required to relentlessly scan the environment in search of any risk that might remotely threaten the smooth progression of the flight. In the same vein, a certain amount of suspicion and worry in the workplace is a healthy thing. Do not allow yourself to be lulled into thinking that things will always be the same or that your position is secure because you happen to be a high performer or a long-time employee. If your gut tells you that you might be at risk, follow up and check it out!
- Develop Strong Skills and a Ready-to-Go Resume. There’s nothing like an updated set of skills and a polished resume to make you feel that no matter what comes your way, your parachute is ready.
Proactive Resilience requires that you continuously expand your skills. Make sure to update your written resume every 3-6 months with the new skills you’ve acquired. Doing so will remind you of your worth and build your confidence. The more confident you are, the less threatening will change be. Furthermore, the more skilled you are, the stronger your position within the organization. - Adopt Ongoing Stress-Busting Practices. Change and stress go hand in hand. By building stress busting practices into your daily life, you will increase the chances that when change takes place, your system will retain more of its equilibrium. Simple things such as sufficient sleep, healthy eating, exercise, yoga, meditation, prayer, mindfulness, counting your blessing, hobbies, prioritizing, saying ‘no’, and delegating will go a long way in reducing your overall stress and making you more change-ready.
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