7 Simple Steps to Creating a Resilient Team

A resilient team is undoubtedly key to achieving your business goals in the world that we currently live in.

When you have a team full of resilient individuals, you will find that: 

• They handle challenges better

• Communication is improved

• Presenteeism and burnout are reduced

• Your business remains competitive

• Upskilling and development is increased

• Targets and goals are met and even exceeded

So,  how do we create resilience in our team?

The following are 7 key ways to develop the critical skill of resilience in your team members.

1. Get Your Team Involved

Resilience and confidence are closely connected – the more confident your team are in their abilities and their place in the business, the more resilient they will become.

You can instil confidence in your team by trusting them and involving them in business decisions, rather than keeping decisions on a 'need to know only' basis.

Involving your whole team in your company in this way is part of a new type of leadership that doesn't view vulnerability as a bad thing. Historically, showing vulnerability as a leader was seen as a weakness which reduced confidence, but in this uncertain landscape, all leaders now face new and unique challenges, which present opportunities for being open and honest with your employees.

Acting in this transparent way will build robust and genuine relationships within your team.

2. Create an Environment of Optimism

Optimism breeds resilience.

While some people are naturally more optimistic than others, it is an attribute we can teach and instil in ourselves. According to NBC News,  optimism is around 25 per cent inherited through our genes, but the other 75 per cent can be learned.

Here are a few questions for you:

• Do you consider optimism to be an essential trait when you are hiring?
• Have you covered the topic of optimism in team training?
• Are you optimistic as a leader?

You cannot expect optimism to flourish in a negative working environment. Therefore, it is essential to cultivate an atmosphere of optimism in your workplace and lead by example.

Be mindful of language – we can use negative language without realising, which can create a scenario where employees find it challenging to feel positive about their work. Instead of "that won't work", use "let's see if there is a better way to do this", change "we can't" to "what if". Use language that encourages opportunities and ideas rather than shutting them down.

Global business consultancy IDEO highlights the phrase "how might we" as a great example of a positive term to use when brainstorming. These three words can have a powerful effect; 'how' gets the creative juices flowing, 'might' suggests that anything is possible, and 'we' highlights the importance of team effort.

Are there words or phrases you find yourself repeatedly saying that could be having a negative effect? Can you alter the things you say to create a more optimistic environment? The answer, I am sure, will be yes.

3. Encourage Adaptability

In any organisation, some employees complete the same set of tasks repeatedly, and in general, the more skilled the individual, the easier they find it to get on with their daily tasks. While this seems like a good thing on the surface, it could be stifling in the development of resilience.

The ability to adapt is crucial in developing resilience. In your organisation, you need individuals who can be flexible when challenges occur or when things need to change quickly.

Creating a growth mindset in which employees feel that they can tackle any new dilemmas they face will strengthen your team and increase their resilience.

Encourage diversity of thought in your team. When problems occur, ask everyone for their input, and ensure your recruitment drives are focused on drawing applicants from a wide range of backgrounds. Not only does having a more diverse team encourage resilience, but they are also more successful too. For example, a 2019 McKinsey report found that companies in the top quartile for diversity were 25 percent more likely to have above-average profitability.

Working with people of different ages, sexes, races, and backgrounds helps people become more adaptable and ultimately more resilient.

4. Re-Connect with Shared Values and Purpose

Our values and purpose drive us to succeed at work, and individuals with higher levels of value and meaning will find it easier to overcome obstacles and spring back after challenging situations.

Since the pandemic, have you had a company-wide review of each individuals' role and where they fit into the overall company vision and mission?

With clearly defined working values, people are more naturally inclined to increase and align their efforts with the rest of the team, which increases our resilience muscle.

It might be that since the pandemic, your company mission, vision or values have changed. Some businesses operated without a mission or vision statement in place even before the pandemic. Still, it is now crucial that you review yours to create a renewed sense of purpose in your team.

5. Create a Support System

You will have more success in creating a resilient team when you provide them with a support system.

'Psychological safety' describes a working environment where employees can thrive, and they don't feel under threat from any direction. Psychological safety was critically identified by Google in recent research they conducted into building productive teams. The study, named Project Aristotle, gathered information from over 100 teams, and they found that psychological safety stood out above all others as a critical within organisational culture.

Not all workplaces effectively provide teams with the support system they need, as employee needs can be individual, wide-ranging and changeable.

Don't let that put you off.

Talk to your team about the parts of their role they regularly struggle with, and then provide them with a framework for support.

Employees are far more likely to be loyal, productive and resilient when they are sure their employer cares and is invested in them. They are more likely to want to be resilient.

A good support system will involve:

• Clear communication between all management and employees – do messages move around your company through the corridors rather than official channels? A transparent communication system is necessary to help employees feel supported.

• Regular check-ins – do you only review employee progress during yearly appraisals? More regular meet-ups will ensure your team feel supported in their role and enables them to bring up any challenges or difficulties they are facing.

• Provide help and support with physical and mental health programmes – encourage positive physical and mental health by including a robust wellbeing initiative. For example, get fit schemes, cycle to work provisions and a focus on positive mental health in the workplace.

Support is something that all humans crave and need in order to function at our optimum. Giving support can come in more subtle ways, such as sharing kind words with colleagues, showing appreciation, and looking out for each other.

When employees feel supported, this strengthens their working bonds, and they will perform better because of it. Better working relationships allow employees to feel more resilient, as they know the rest of the organisation supports them.

6. Eliminating Barriers for Increased Resilience

As a leader, you should be working towards creating a work environment where your team can perform to the best of their abilities.

Organisational theorist and author Richard Beckhard created the GRPI model to increase effectiveness within teams, and you can use it to increase resilience, too.

The acronym GRPI describes the different dimensions of a team that affect performance:

Goals – the clear objectives shared by all

Roles – clearly defines roles and responsibilities

Processes – the procedures in place to achieve said goals

Interpersonal – a healthy climate of well-respected colleagues

An absence of any one of these core principles will leave your team at risk of poor performance, internal conflict and increased pressure, all of which can challenge and eliminate resilience.

Take the time to plan how you can build an environment that promotes the GRPI framework, and you will remove these barriers to resilience.

7. Recruiting Resilience

One of the easiest ways to influence new behaviours in your team is in the people you hire.

Having excellent skills is not enough in the modern workplace – high emotional intelligence and resilience are what employers are increasingly looking for.

Resilience might not have played a part in your recruitment programme until now, but there are some ways you can introduce it into your hiring strategy. The aim is to discover how resilient an individual is by asking the right questions. For example, consider introducing the following into your interview questions:

• What coping techniques do you have/have you used in previous challenging situations?
• What have you learned from this situation?
• How did you move forward after this scenario?
• How well did you cope with previous stressful situations?

Looking for experience, expertise and competence are still essential, but singling out resilient individuals in your hiring process will ultimately lead to you building a highly resilient team.

Can We Help?

If you are looking for the next generation of resilient talent for your business, we can help.

We have placed and filled over 100,000 temp and permanent assignments over the last 30 years so have a range of techniques, ideas and platforms which could help you. Why not call us on 0113 367 2880 to have a conversation with one of our team. Alternatively drop us an email here or check out our Testimonials and Case Studies.