In this episode of "Monster in My Closet," our hosts discuss the concept of resilience in the workplace. They explore the differences between macro and micro resilience, emphasizing the importance of quick recovery from small setbacks to maintain productivity. The conversation also covers resiliency strategies, and underscores the necessity of understanding individual needs, especially for those with disabilities or neurodiversity, to foster a resilient work environment. These show notes include:
Just make note of what happened. That didn't go right. It'll still be there when you're done with the race. Just make a note and focus on the next corner.
Takeaways
Macro vs. Micro Resilience: Macro resilience involves long-term recovery strategies, while micro resilience focuses on immediate response to setbacks.
Emotional Management: Managing emotions like fear, anger, and regret is crucial for maintaining focus and performance.
Preparation: Having different versions of presentations (full, 10-minute, 2-minute) can help adapt to unexpected time constraints.
Personal Anecdotes: Real-life experiences, such as Morgan's car racing story, illustrate the importance of quick recovery from mistakes.
Adaptability: Being prepared to handle objections and unexpected challenges can enhance resilience.
Supportive Leadership: Leaders should create environments that foster resilience by being gracious about mistakes and understanding individual needs.
Resource Recommendations: Books like "Micro Resiliency" by Bonnie St. James and "Antifragile" by Nassim Tlaib offer valuable insights on building resilience.
Morgan’s Full Racing Story
There have been few things in my life that revealed my shortcomings as quickly and clearly as a bad lap around a track. Setbacks abound in motorsports and your ability to recover instantly can make the difference between winning and losing. When I speak of recovery, I’m not talking about accelerating, breaking, or turning…the physical aspects of racing, but rather “mental” recovery from a mistake.
I come from a long line of “failure is not an option” types so, making multiple attempts at the perfect line, in a single corner, and not getting it right is infuriating. The problem with this is, when you're on the track beating yourself up over a bad corner for even a few seconds can have devastating effects. For example: At my home track there is an average of nine seconds between turns. When I screw up a turn, by the time I realize I’ve lost my focus I’m going into the next turn. Now, I have two bad turns and I’m thinking about how my entire lap time is messed up…Ooops, there’s another bad turn….and that’s how it plays out…one bad turn begets three.
Trying to recover focus during in a nine second window was NOT working. When I expressed my frustration to my instructor he laughed and said, “There’s no such thing as a perfect lap. You need to focus on the next turn and make it the best it can be.”
Focus on the next turn? When does focus on the next turn start? As I re-wound my track session I had an epiphany; my head wasn’t in the right place to begin with. The type of focus that carries you through setbacks begins before you hit the track.
Once I realized this, I got serious about taking time out before each track session to focus. First, I focused on the big picture; the lap and not the turns. Second, I'd clear my head of the great distracters: Anger, Fear, and Regret.
For me these three mental states are the greatest inhibitors of performance and recovery. The result was great and now even with a bad turn I can still achieve my best lap time ever.
Meanwhile...back at the office
There have been many books written about “bounce” and “resiliency.” These books suggest tools and approaches for corporations, teams, and individuals to recover from tough times and set backs. I call the type of resiliency described in these books Macro-Resiliency: post-event recovery, where you can plan and strategize your approach to bouncing back; in other words, the concept of getting back on your horse.
What I discovered on the track is there is another type of resiliency that starts at the moment the set-back event occurs; it’s not even a recovery really…. it’s not losing focus to begin with. I call this Micro-Resiliency. Micro-Resiliency is different in that it happens at the time of the event and is by all accounts instantaneous. When we see this characteristic in people we might describe it as savvy, finesse, or poise.
Here are a couple examples where Micro-Resiliency comes into play at the office:
You have an important presentation and have spent weeks honing your research and data, carefully planning the supporting details for any number of questions or objections to arise. You secured a full hour of your stakeholder’s time and plan to take full advantage of every minute. When the meeting starts the stakeholder is 20 minutes late and announces upon arrival that they only have ten minutes to discuss the proposal you put dozens of hours into preparing.
How many seconds do you have to recover, to consider what data/message is most important to convey, to formulate a coherent summary, and fight for the attention of a stakeholder who is already thinking about their next meeting? Failure to recover in this moment can mean even the most well thought out business case, solution, or analysis, may not be heard.
You are at a press conference or giving a presentation and you are asked a provocative question that is so far out in left field that it was never even anticipated.
Being defensive, speechless, and thoughtless in this scenario can be a career killer. On a large scale it can mean injury to your company, and on a smaller scale but also important, disintegration of your personal brand and credibility. To quote Robert Burns, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” In these situations where traditional doing-your-homework preparation has failed you, being mentally prepared for the unexpected can yield a distinct advantage.
So, how do you go about creating micro-resiliency in your work life? It starts with focus. Here are the steps I use to improve micro-resiliency at work. Allow a 30-minute buffer before important meetings or presentations for the following:
Shut your door, ignore your email and mobile device
Focus on the goal of the event in the context of the bigger picture.
Anticipate that things will not go as planned and mentally prepare to expect the unexpected.
Process the unexpected as a data point and not as a personal affront or failure
Clear your head of the great distracters: Anger, Fear, and Regret
Visualize the optimal outcome and rather than the detailed path you will take to get there.
In today’s business world we speed from phone call to phone call, and from meeting to meeting, with rarely a second between to focus our minds. Focus and mental preparedness in the workplace has been overtaken by a constant barrage of noise, data, and busy work that prevents us from “thinking on our feet.” This lack of focus causes us to miss opportunities to prevent setbacks before they happen. As a result, a small bump in the road turns into a major crash which we must recover from instead.
Do you take time out to focus at work? What is your experience with Micro-Resiliency? I welcome personal stories from readers or examples readers have of good Micro-Resiliency or a lack thereof it.
Supporting Research
Suggested Reading
"Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness" by Rick Hanson and Forrest Hanson. This book provides practical strategies for developing resilience by harnessing positive experiences and building inner strengths such as grit, gratitude, and compassion. It combines insights from neuroscience, mindfulness, and positive psychology.
"Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance" by Angela Duckworth. Angela Duckworth explores the concept of grit, which she defines as a combination of passion and perseverance. The book offers research-backed insights and personal anecdotes to illustrate how grit can drive success and resilience.
"Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy" by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant. Co-authored by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and psychologist Adam Grant, this book shares personal stories and research-based strategies for overcoming adversity and building resilience in the face of life's challenges.
"The Resilience Factor: 7 Keys to Finding Your Inner Strength and Overcoming Life's Hurdles" by Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatté. This book offers a practical guide to developing resilience using the authors' seven key principles. It includes exercises and strategies for handling stress, building strong relationships, and enhancing overall well-being.
"Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead" by Brené Brown, Brené Brown explores the process of rising strong after failure. She emphasizes the importance of vulnerability and courage in developing resilience and provides a framework for embracing setbacks as opportunities for growth.
"Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Taleb introduces the concept of antifragility, which goes beyond resilience. He argues that certain systems and individuals thrive and grow stronger in the face of volatility, uncertainty, and stress.
Morgan's Crash Video: Medusaas Superfans Only
If you listen carefully you can hear me cuss and then laugh when I realized that I had the whole thing on film.
Wrap up
In conclusion, resilience is a crucial skill for navigating the modern workplace's inevitable challenges and uncertainties. By acknowledging mistakes, learning from them, and moving forward, employees and leaders can maintain productivity, enhance job satisfaction, and foster a positive corporate culture. Strategies such as mindfulness, cognitive flexibility, and emotional management are vital for building resilience. As organizations invest in these practices, they not only improve individual well-being but also drive innovation and long-term success. Embracing resilience empowers teams to turn setbacks into growth opportunities, creating a more agile and thriving work environment.
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