August 7, 2023
“Resilient leadership” is the term used to describe those leadership behaviors that help others withstand crisis, adapt to or rebound from adversity (George Everly, Johns Hopkins University). Resilient leadership is a growing area of interest for the Devereux Center for Resilient Children (DCRC), as we see the ripple effect of resilience (or lack thereof) on children in early childhood settings, schools and child welfare services. Resilient leaders in the education and helping professions are in a position to create workplaces that foster the resilience of the adults who deeply impact children and their families. We at DCRC believe that a resilient workplace can lead to more resilient staff and more resilient staff can support the growing resilience of families and children.
But what exactly does a resilient leader do?
Our team focuses on the following behaviors associated with resilient leadership, organized around four key adult resilience protective factors: Relationships, Internal Beliefs, Initiative, and Self-Control.
Relationships are defined as the mutual, long-lasting, positive back-and-forth bond we have with other people in our lives. Resilient leaders who focus on positive relationships ensure that they are…
- Cultivating supportive teamwork
- Challenging staff to do their best
- Working side-by-side with staff, as needed
- Encouraging staff to show empathy toward others
- Fostering trust with staff
Internal beliefs are defined as the feelings and thoughts we have about ourselves and how effective we think we are at taking action in life. Resilient leaders who focus on positive internal beliefs ensure that they are…
- Delegating to encourage staff ownership
- Nurturing staff strengths
- Encouraging staff creativity
- Demonstrating that they value staff diversity
- Creating a common vision and mission with staff
- Modeling and encouraging positivity and optimism
Initiative is defined as your ability to make choices and decisions and act upon them. Resilient leaders who focus on positive initiative ensure that they are…
- Modeling and teaching effective communication
- Encouraging collaborative problem-solving with staff
- Praising and celebrating staff contributions
- Supporting staff development and learning
- Being open to new ideas from staff
- Enjoying staff and sharing positive moments
- Striving for manageable workloads for staff
- Encouraging staff to ask for help when needed
Self-control is defined as the ability to experience a range of feelings and express them using words and actions that society considers appropriate. Resilient leaders who focus on positive self-control ensure that they are…
- Validating the feelings of staff
- Establishing clear and fair expectations of staff
- Encouraging staff to be flexible
- Sharing healthy coping strategies with staff
If you want to reflect on your leadership practices, particularly, how you do or do not (yet) lead with resilience, we invite you to use our free tool called the Devereux Resilient Leadership Survey (DERLS). The DERLS is a 23-item, research-informed checklist that helps professionals reflect on the behaviors shared above. Remember: There are no right or wrong answers! This is a self-reflective tool that you can use time and again, whenever you should feel the need to do so.
