Defining the Resilient Woman: 4 Ways to Build a Confident Career
Whether parenthood, a new role, or a financial change, resilience allows us to face and overcome our greatest challenges. Experience after experience, it becomes our armor, shielding us from elements that threaten to derail our growth.
However, resilience doesn’t stop at weathering the storm and coming out unscathed. It’s about thriving regardless of the season. Despite any unforeseen pitfalls, we learn how to acknowledge our hardships and push forward confidently, led by the belief that we still have the resources and skill set to rise with minimal disruption.
It’s not a linear journey by any means—there are bound to be ups and downs that sometimes leave us questioning our ability to keep ourselves afloat. But when we actively and consciously practice our flexibility and adaptability, much like a muscle at the gym, we gather more courage to continue taking risks and emerge the other side, ever so victorious.
Wondering how to get there? In this post, we explore some ways to nurture career resilience effectively.
Career resilience isn’t just for the individual—it’s crucial for organizational success.
Resilience and innovation go hand in hand, as they both encourage continuous reflection and improvement. Without constant growth, companies can’t have a viable future. The more an organization strives to stay ahead of the curve, the more it needs to master the art of adaptability. Leaders know this reality all too well.
A 2023 SAS study on business resilience reveals that:
- 97% of executives view resilience as very or somewhat important
- 87% state it allows them to prepare for the unexpected.
- An alarming 47% believe their companies are resilient
- 46% do not think they’d be able to navigate transformation
While understanding the importance of company resilience, many key decision-makers lack the confidence to survive unforeseen change. That’s not to say people aren’t trying—for instance, during COVID, many were forced to pivot to keep their employees safe and their finances well maintained.
According to McKinsey, resilient organizations better navigated major disruptions from 2020 to 2021. The consulting firm stated that leaders must prioritize agility, self-sufficiency, adaptive leadership, and top talent to build their grit properly.
In other words, companies must move quickly, build more capable teams, embrace flexibility, and invest in their people so that when change inevitably comes, they can tackle it fearlessly.
Here are practical ways to empower your team in the process:
Reassess your expectations and adjust accordingly.
You may have projects in the queue that won’t meet their original deadline or growth goals you realistically can’t hit by the end of the quarter. While it may feel disappointing to bring your ideas back to the drawing board, sticking to a rigid timeline with no flexibility can do more harm.
Rather than a failure or setback, consider it a new opportunity to view your tasks differently. Needs change all the time, so it’s important to evolve on the go and make informed decisions that maintain your momentum.
Practice versatile leadership.
An adaptive leader molds themselves accordingly, whether providing guidance during economic uncertainty or encouraging a team to take creative risks. Every situation requires a different approach and significant empathy before pursuing a viable solution.
Cultivate a safe space for employees to voice their thoughts and listen to their concerns or ideas. If needed, hand over some of your responsibilities and allow them to take ownership—more often than not, you’ll get to your destination faster and with fewer road bumps.
Foster an open, celebratory culture.
To elevate your team’s career resilience, normalize a culture where people can acknowledge their learning curves without feeling ashamed. A high-pressure, high-expectation environment can add unwanted stress and bring down morale. Still, prioritizing employee appreciation, collaboration, and transparency will forge connections that will take you through the more difficult seasons.
Four tips for building career resilience
Career resilience is a skill that requires time and effort. It improves over time as you learn how to respond to everyday stressors without falling into harsh self-criticism. There are several critical approaches to nurturing this mindset effectively:
1. Identify how you respond to stress.
Everyone has unique stress responses. You may tend to withdraw from others and mute your voice entirely or become overly loud and defensive to protect your deeper fears. Seek to understand your triggers and the coping mechanisms that follow.
Doing so lets you dig deeply into each root cause and strategize how to better respond to your patterns. Consider how you work under extreme pressure or conflict, and note how it controls you, your leadership, and your work ethic.
2. Listen to your body.
The best way to maintain balance and avoid stress is to listen to your body. Focus on your physical cues: Do your muscles tense, or does your heart race? Is your sleep quality poor, and do you have trouble getting out of bed on workdays?
Your body has a remarkable ability to advocate for itself. It signifies when you need to pause and find an outlet to express your overwhelm—so pay attention to your warning signals to nurture your perseverance.
3. Prioritize your emotional health.
Like caring for your body, tending to your emotional wellness is vital to building career resilience. You can’t pour from an empty cup. You must intentionally carve out time to practice self-care and prioritize your well-being to empower yourself and your team.
Whether meditation, a mindfulness activity, or a creative pursuit outside of work, tap into an activity that gives you a break from your daily responsibilities. It’s easy to fall into the daily grind, but there’s value in dwelling in the stillness and putting your emotional health above your work.
4. Lean on your community.
Unveiling your hardships doesn’t make you weak; vulnerability leads to authentic connections crucial to your growth. Furthermore, honing your resilience shouldn’t ever be a solo endeavor. Your circle of supporters—friends, family, mentors—can make a difference in your greatest times of need.
Uncertainty becomes all-consuming when you have to recover from a setback or scramble for new solutions under a tight timeframe. Your community is there to offer you guidance to walk through uncharted territory confidently—and encouragement to power you through the roadblocks that feel unmovable.
Run the race with CCWomen.
CCWomen is a community platform by women, for women, and allies. We believe career resilience is both an individual and collective effort. While you work to build your endurance, our circle of leaders and luminaries actively elevates you every step of the way.
Through in-person events, monthly catch-ups, and tangible insights to navigate the business world, we strive to be your go-to as you elevate your brand, tap into meaningful connections, and accomplish your professional goals. Need a helping hand?
