Tonya Harrison: 0:00

Welcome to Leveraging Operations and Leadership, the podcast that bridges the gap between operational excellence and leadership development. I'm Tonya D. Harrison, founder of Signal Partners, and I help leaders build high-performing teams without burnout. In today's episode, we are going to dive into the topic every leader will face sooner or later. A topic every leader will face sooner or later Resilience. Not just bouncing back from challenges, but learning how to lead steadily through them, understanding how to navigate. Here's the truth, and you probably have already figured this out Leadership is not a straight road. It's full of curveballs, unexpected setbacks, difficult team dynamics, market changes, political impact like we're experiencing right now, at the time of this recording and even personal challenges that creep into your professional world, because we're a whole human being and if you want to lead long-term without losing your edge, resilience is not an option. It's not an option at all. It is a requirement. It is a leadership essential. It is a requirement. It is a leadership essential.

Tonya Harrison: 1:29

Let's talk about what resilience really is. Resilience is the capacity to be able to recover quickly from difficulties, being able to adapt to change and maintain steady, intentional leadership under pressure. It's easy to lead when everything's going well, but when things are really shaking up, that's when we need to think about are we a resilient leader? In how we're handling things, it's not just about the ability to bounce back. It's the ability to be able to move forward stronger because of what you've experienced. Resilience allows you to be able to keep decision making clear when emotions are high. You're not responding from a place of emotions. It's also going to allow you to inspire confidence in your team during uncertainty, because they're going to be looking towards you. And then it's going to allow you to maintain perspective when the short term feels overwhelming, because when we're in it, that's when it's the toughest. It's real right. So sometimes it can be hard to look forward in terms of when we get past this. What does it look like Without resilience? Leadership can quickly feel like a constant state of reaction instead of intentional direction.

Tonya Harrison: 3:04

So here's some signs that your resilience may be low, and you may also recognize these in other leaders as well Making fear-driven decisions. So something is impacting you in the short term, but you are making a long-term decision because of fear. Another sign is when stress spills over into communication. This may look like you being short with your team or snapping at the wrong person. Or my go-to my go-to was to completely withdraw from people. Another flag is you burn out faster. This is going to impact not only you personally, but it also impacts your team morale and productivity. You really want to look out for these signs.

Tonya Harrison: 4:01

I have seen many talented, capable leaders step away from roles that they absolutely loved and enjoyed, not because they lack the skill, but because they lack the resilience to navigate the pressure. I want to share with you a couple of things that you can do to build resilience as a leader. We're going to talk specifically about some things you could do from a leadership perspective, and you can apply these in any way that you see fit. Number one manage your mindset through stress, setbacks and uncertainty and I know this sounds easier than it really is, but resilience starts in the mind.

Tonya Harrison: 4:50

Every challenge that you face in leadership will try to plant seeds of doubt, frustration, fear, all of those things, and you have to be able to take control of your thoughts, because, if not, those seeds are going to grow and they will shape your actions. One of the most powerful reminders for me comes from 2nd Corinthians, chapter 10, verse 5, and it talks about bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. This is something that helps me when those thoughts start to come, because they will right. So I have to be really cognizant not to allow them to, to plant seeds, not to allow them to become a part of me, because if I don't, if I don't do my job up front now, my actions are going to start to reflect that I won't be a bold leader, I won't be a confident leader, I won't go after the things that I know I'm supposed to go after because I've allowed those seeds to take root. We have to be extremely careful as those thoughts start to come into your mind.

Tonya Harrison: 6:12

You want to pause and ask yourself some pertinent questions. Number one is this thought helping me lead well? And if the answer is not, then you need to get rid of it. Does it align with my values and my faith? Again, if it doesn't, okay. Or is it rooted in fear, frustration or ego? Yeah, that word ego. We're going to talk about that in another episode. Ask yourself some questions.

Tonya Harrison: 6:46

I hear a lot of people talk about imposter syndrome and a lot of this comes from the mindset. Some of these thoughts that we are allowing in to take up root right To take up residence Like no, you can't live here in my mind. It's time to serve an eviction notice to the thoughts that do not serve you. All right, okay, that is number one. Manage your mindset through stress, setbacks and uncertainty. Number two reframe setbacks as learning information. I've talked about this reframing before. I love it because it allows us to have a different perspective. A resilient leader views setbacks not as proof of failure but as information. This is where mindset again plays a role. You can decide to see obstacles as barriers or as opportunities to learn and grow. What do I need to get from this? And here's another perspective shift worth holding on to or thinking about.

Tonya Harrison: 7:57

Consider the fact that some things may be happening for you and not to you. I can't tell you how many times I have literally thought like, oh my gosh, I can't believe this is happening to me. And when I look back, I realized it was happening for me. It was a redirection. It was a redirection. Really. Think about that. When you can step back and look for the lesson or the redirection or the refinement Inside a challenge, it changes how you experience it. When your thinking is fixed on growth, even the hardest moments become stepping stones. Be open to seeing things differently.

Tonya Harrison: 8:49

Number three build recovery into your routine. Oh, can't tell you how important this is. You can't maintain a resilient mindset if you're constantly running on empty. It's not going to happen. Rest, reflection, prayer and activities that fill your spirit. They aren't luxuries, they are must-haves. They are must-haves, they're leadership necessities. I want you to go back and check out episode 30, where I talk specifically about this. Pause, reflect and lead. This is the leadership secret weapon you're probably ignoring. Check out that episode because I give you some tips on things that you can do. And, as someone who has experienced burnout and had to walk through the recovery process more than once, I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is extremely important and it is required for all people. I'm talking to leaders, but required for all people. I'm talking to leaders, but required for all people. And a quick side note I'm not talking about vacations that you take once, twice, even quarterly. I'm not talking about that, you know a year. I'm talking about activities that are a part of your regular routine. We're not waiting weeks and months to do this. This is a part of your norm, this is a part of what you do, just like you. You wake up and, whatever your morning routine is get your coffee, whatever that is. This is a part of your routine. It has to be embedded as a part of your routine. Trust me when I tell you this. Okay, all right. So number four that was number three. Build recovery into your routine. Number four strengthening your support system. Got a lot of experience in this one as well.

Tonya Harrison: 10:55

So a strong mindset isn't built in isolation. It doesn't work well. You want to surround yourself with mentors, peers, coaches, who would challenge your thinking when it drifts as it will. You want somebody there that is willing and able to call that out. This isn't the time for the yes people, right? This is the time where you want somebody who's able to check you when your mind starts to drift, when your thinking starts to drift into fear or self-doubt, somebody who will remind you of the truth when pressure clouds your perspective. These are your truth tellers. I talk about them as well, and it doesn't always feel good, but we need them around. I got a couple in my life. Thank God for them.

Tonya Harrison: 11:50

Now, as an introvert and an only child, being alone or being on my own has always felt natural to me. So here's what I had to learn. I had to learn not to confuse isolation with solitude. Solitude is intentional. This is when I am intentional about giving myself space to think, to reflect, to recharge. It's healthy and it is necessary. Isolation, on the other hand, this is when you cut yourself off from the voices, from perspectives and from support that could help you stay steady under pressure. Remember that resilience grows faster when you're not carrying the weight alone. It wasn't meant for you to carry it alone.

Tonya Harrison: 12:50

Here's the fifth thing that you can do Develop adaptive thinking. Resilience isn't about having all of the answers, but it is about the willingness to adapt when the answers you had no longer work. When your mindset is flexible, change becomes something that you can work with, not something that you fear. That adaptability is what keeps you steady when everything around you is shifting and is needed in leadership, because things are going to shift, things are going to change. You have to figure out how to be flexible through this. How do I adapt through this? There's going to be changes changes on your team, changes who you report to, changes in your position. Right, there's going to be some changes as you go through this leadership journey. You have to have some adaptive thinking. So those are five things that you could do right now to start to build resilience as a leader. And just remember, resilience doesn't mean you never feel pressure or frustrated that's not what this is but it does mean that you build the internal strength and fortitude and the external tools to lead well through it, to navigate through it and come out even stronger.

Tonya Harrison: 14:20

So here's your leadership intention for the week. I want you to identify one challenge you're facing right now and ask yourself if this is happening for me and not to me, how would I respond differently? That single question can shift your mindset. It could also guide your actions and help you lead with steadiness, even in uncertainty, because we are in some uncertain times. If this episode resonated with you and you want to build the leadership skills, check out the Leadership Shift Coaching. The leadership that's a mouthful.

Tonya Harrison: 15:04

Check out the Leadership Shift Coaching.

Tonya Harrison: 15:08

This is a one-on-one program that I have created just for you.

Tonya Harrison: 15:12

It is to meet you where you are and help you work through some of the challenges that you may face, or even position yourself for your next level. We talk about things surrounding your team. If you want to build a high performing team, one that performs better, if you want to learn how to build some resilience and advance some of these things into your leadership, or if you want to position yourself for your next level. We talk about the things that you want to talk about. This is your safe space to meet with me somebody who has been there, done that for most of the things but also to help to guide you to where it is that you want to go. The link for the cignalpartners. com/theshift Shift Coaching Program is Signalpartnerscom slash the shift. Go ahead and check it out. You can schedule a free call where we will talk and you can tell me what it is that you want to achieve and then we can see if we are a fit and go from there. Until next time, lead well and lead with resilience.