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Resilience is typically defined as the ability to strongly cope with a crisis and be back to the normal state quickly. It mainly refers to dealing with an adverse situation through calmness thus maintaining a kind of balance.
The research on resilience focuses on those who live their lives with hope despite suffering devastating losses. It's vital to remember that resilience entails not simply overcoming a very stressful event, but also emerging with "competent functioning."
And in recent times, it has become very crucial for us individuals to build emotional resilience within ourselves.
In this podcast, Mary Ann Baynton talks about how resilience is preparing oneself to face a crisis and go back to the pre-crisis condition. She further talks about the various skills of resilience and the role of leaders in boosting the employees and building resilience in the workplace.
Key Takeaways
- Resilience is not an excuse for bad management. Mary Ann was initially skeptical of the term because employers use it to offload responsibility — "we'll keep the chaos, you become resilient." But even in a toxic workplace, individuals owe themselves the skill; Viktor Frankl's concentration-camp example is her reference point.
- The 7 Cs of resilience. Competence, confidence, connection, character, contribution, control, and coping strategies. Coping in particular is individual and changes over time — a meditation that calmed her for years later began to annoy her; same technique, different season of life.
- Team resilience is the leader's job, not individual psychology. Leaders should not try to diagnose employees. Their role is to design how the team copes together — through psychological safety, civility, and "safe voice": the ability to raise concerns without fear or disrespect.
- Safe voice must be designed for introverts. Mary Ann's tactic: send questions in advance ("What are your biggest challenges? How are you coping?"), let people answer in writing or at the meeting, but make coping part of routine team dialogue — not a reaction to a crisis.
- Wellness programs fail if the workplace itself is harmful. "All the wellness programs in the world are affected" if work assignment, leader behavior, and organizational treatment of people cause the stress. Resilience programs are not a substitute for fixing how work is run.
- One-size team-building excludes people. Hikes exclude employees with mobility issues; loud group activities alienate introverts. She pushes back on cookie-cutter programs and recommends surveying employees on what they'd actually engage with before rolling anything out.
- Pushing through stress is a false coping strategy. Mary Ann burned out in 2004 after years of "pushing harder, working more, ruminating." Her rule now: slow down, unitask, do one thing at a time. Unrelenting anxiety dressed up as resilience backfires eventually — mental or physical health.
In Mary Ann's Words
On what resilience actually is
Real resilience is being able to look at any situation and think: what can I learn, how can I grow? That growth-mindset perspective is what helps us build it.
How difficult is it to build resilience? It's like saying how difficult is it to eat healthier, to quit smoking. It takes willpower and discipline, but the investment in yourself is worth it.
We used to resist the concept, because employers will use it to say: we'll keep the pressure, the conflict, the chaos — you become resilient. That blames the victim. But even then, we as individuals owe it to ourselves to build it.
On the leader's role in team resilience
Rather than focusing on the psychological makeup of individual employees — which is not the role of a leader — ask: how can we as a team cope with the challenges, support each other through the ups and downs, so none of us burn out?
Psychological safety means we are respectful and civil, but we have safe voice. You can speak up about what is concerning you in a way that doesn't harm anyone else, but you don't feel afraid.
We don't wait till somebody is struggling to talk about coping strategies. We make it part of our team resilience because it's our dialogue all the time.
On wellness programs and the workplace
Resilience is built by the way we treat each other. Wellness programs focus on individual efforts to become and stay well, and that's an important factor. But if we ignore the way work is assigned, the way leaders interact with their direct reports, the way the organization treats people — all the wellness programs in the world are affected.
When you have the benefit of engaging with professionals who do wellness programs, get them to look at your particular team — what would be most engaging for them, rather than a cookie-cutter approach.
On her own burnout and the slow-down rule
When I was stressed, I would push harder, work more, ruminate. When I burned out in 2004, I was completely without energy, without motivation. It took that for me to realize pushing through was not healthy.
Now when the tension arises, I slow everything down — my mind, what I'm doing. My colleague calls it "unitask." I stop multitasking, look at what I have, prioritize, do one thing at a time. That's what has stopped me from ever burning out again.
We can't have unrelenting anxiety and say, well, I'm resilient because I can still keep going. That is a false coping strategy that will backfire on you — with mental health issues or with physical health issues.
About the Speaker
Mary Ann Baynton is the principal of Mary Ann Baynton & Associates. Her areas of expertise include workplace mental health, psychological safety, resolving conflict, and addressing performance concerns. She strives to help people get unstuck, move beyond problems, restore productivity and improve working lives.
Connect with her on Linkedin.
Show Notes
(01:27) Tell us your experience of working as a relations specialist and being a director in workplace strategies in mental health?
(02:46) Before moving on to the topic, could you throw some light on the significance of mental health awareness, especially with regards to the workplace? And how often it gets neglected?
(06:16) Now let us talk about the topic of resilience. So, what is your definition of resilience?
(08:31) How difficult is it to bring resilience within ourselves?
(10:22) What are the various traits of resilience?
(13:28) What is psychological resilience?
(14:34) Is psychological and emotional resilience the same thing?
(14:56) What’s the role of leaders in building resilience and adaptability in the workplace?
(17:15) What about introverts? Do you think building resilience would motivate them to speak up?
(18:45) What are the benefits of resilience at work, both for employees and employers?
(20:42) Are adaptability and resilience connected?
(22:26) Do you think corporate wellness programs help boost resilience in the workplace?
(29:51) How to develop resilience with each day?
