A European leader shared that reading Cody’s blog last week got him thinking about resilience for his team and family.

He shared that “resilience” in his language has a slightly different meaning than in English. Resilience is not the ability to bounce back (or forward) but to work hard, figure things out, and take care of oneself.

A bit like, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.”

Wow, his comment set me back a bit, and as we talked, one interesting notion was his experience of being raised in a communist state. His youthful expectations were limited, and the mantra of the time was that even hard work would not reap many rewards. Despite being in a democratic state, the culture and tenor of the nation still hold a bit to that precept.

It’s changing, and he shared, as he sees his 10-year-old looking at the world with endless possibilities and if a funny twist, he wondered if his son was experiencing enough adversity to build his resilience!

The world never seems to give us exactly what we need or want.

He has a mix of older and younger staff members who have differing views on addressing their work challenges and their notion of resilience. We’ll start by agreeing on a definition that will help guide the big projects on their agenda this year.

Many companies I’ve been talking with are experiencing meaningful challenges facing a post-covid return to work issues, navigating a possible recession, and keeping valuable employees. Resilience is a crucial competency for your leaders and team members.

If you and your company here in the US or around the globe are experiencing similar issues, drop me a note, and we can explore bringing resilience to your organization.

© Richard Citrin 2023