How resilient are you? In these extraordinary times we all need to dig deep and find the resilience to cope. Less has been written about personal resilience intelligence (or PRQ) as a type of intelligence according to Janette Young. We often forget that this may be an important element in our ability to survive the highs and lows of life’s journey. Personal Resilience according to Dr Janette Young, in her new book, Leadership Resilience in a Digital Age, has both an internal and external aspect. Reaching out is therefore one element, an external tactic, that helps us ride the tides of change that today we find ourselves affected by continually. In fact, conversation is the opposite of isolation and is a key component of personal resilience comprising being vulnerable, which is a key element that enables you to speak your truth and share your concerns. Engaging in conversation and dialogue is a way of sharing ideas and insights through deep and meaningful conversation.
Conversation allows you to open up and be vulnerable and share your mental models and ideas with another, so that you may reflect and modify your insights. However, the key to reaching out is to involve a ‘trusted other’, where a meaningful conversation occurs with a confidante! This may arise from within a circle of friends and experts or formally or informally. Informally, you may share ideas with friends and family. Formally, you may choose to reach out and discuss your issues with a professional coach/mentor, knowledgeable colleagues or member of the Board. Personal resilience intelligence supports ‘not holding back’ so that you allow yourself to be vulnerable. By opening up you can re-frame previous thinking, rather than being locked in fixed views, and as such, this allows for adaptation and change.
The way we think affects our behaviour, so we need to be aware of how this plays out. We may also see building the social support element as part of social capital building as we build up a network of psychological capital. This type of capital has value and the more you have the ability to build your psychological capital through social and conversational means, the more you build up your resilience. Personal resilience is not developed in total isolation, therefore, build up your network of close friends, ties and confidantes to drive that conversation and create good habits for resilience in advance.
Conversational leadership is part of a contemporary approach to leadership. To read more about conversation for resilience, and to listen to the voice of the leaders themselves, read Janette’s new book.
This blog has been created from a theme emerging in Dr. Janette Young’s book Leadership Resilience in a Digital Age (2022).
Leadership Resilience in a Digital Age
Leadership Resilience in a Digital Age
September 30, 2021 by Routledge
ISBN: 9781032047744
Paperback
170 Pages