Our destination is resilience. It requires a new way to think, decide, plan and act. It demands flexibility and fortitude to rebound, adapt, innovate, and lead. So what makes us resilient?
Generally, resilience is about adapting in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress. Resilient people are aware of situations, of their own reactions and of the behavior of those around them. Resilient people meet the world head-on with eyes wide open.
Being resilient begins by understanding the causes that give rise to adverse situations. Getting to the root cause allows us to remediate the impact of situations and think of new ways to tackle problems. Resilience deals with “the then”, “the now” and “the thereafter”.
The practical reality is that life is full of risks. While we cannot avoid problems, we can remain open, flexible, and adaptable. Whether we are talking about ourselves as individuals or about businesses as corporate persons, openness, flexibility, and adaptability are key ingredients of resilience. Yet, it is those very things that are hardest to integrate into our lives and the lives of our businesses because we seek stasis, normalcy, routine, structure, process and best practice. The struggle to be agile is constant.
Resilience is characterized by an internal locus of control. But we must be careful about what we mean by control. Control is an illusion; we cannot control most things, and pandemics, like earthquakes and tsunamis, are uncontrollable.
However, resilience is a conviction: we are convinced that the actions we take will affect the outcome of situations. It is the outcome, not the situation itself that is the locus of control. How we act and react in the face of a crisis constitutes resilience.
It is inefficient and ineffective simply to dwell on cause and effect thinking when facing a crisis. That leads to putting blame on external causes, and ultimately to a sense of victimization and the need to scapegoat imagined and real offenders. To what end?
More important is the power to make choices that will affect our situation, our ability to cope, and our future. The key to resilience is about what we can and need to do, not about who to blame.
When a crisis emerges, resilient people can spot the solution that will lead to a safe outcome. In dangerous situations, people sometimes develop tunnel vision. They fail to note important details or take advantage of opportunities. They act with “eyes wide shut”.
Resilient individuals calmly and rationally look at the problem and envision a successful solution. Anyone with the slightest experience in problem solving knows that the solution lies in the problem itself. By understanding the problem, we discover and discern the possible solutions. Problem solving 101 begins by defining the problem – aka, facing the brutal facts. From there we can envision the future.
Envisioning that future is what scenario planning is all about. Tunnel vision leads to panic; resilience leads to solutions. Resilient solutions are not fix-its; they are options, opportunities, possibilities in the face of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Being resilient is being agile in thought, word, plan, strategy, deed, and execution.
Resilient solutions are supported collectively. We can never go it alone. Talking about the challenges, communicating with others, allows us to gain perspective and insights, look for alternatives and new solutions, and simply express frustrations and emotions. Social connectivity, even in the face of physical isolation, is essential to being resilient.
When dealing with any potential crisis, we must view ourselves as survivors and avoid thinking like victims of circumstances. The survival mentality will lead to finding ways to solve problems and implement solutions. While situations may be unavoidable, we need to stay focused on positive outcomes as the impetus of resilience.
BIO:
The Logistics Institute is a Canadian-based professional organization delivering programs that enable practitioners to become certified professionals by earning P.Log, LS, and SC designations. Institute programs are competency based; they validate capability, not just knowledge. By earning these designations one is recognized as a professional and a strategic leader in Global Supply Chain Logistics. For further information go to www.loginstitute.ca