Written by Tatjana Gaspar, Coach, Consultant, Author
Tatjana Gaspar is a certified Systemic Coach and Online Trainer who uses methods that focus on the clients’ individual goals, thus aiming at improving their business or life situation. She is also the CEO of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce in Switzerland, where she organizes events, hosts webinars and is responsible for operational and financial issues.
Generally, resilience is described as the ability to withstand adversity with fortitude and bounce back from tragedy or misfortune. It implies the capacity to shake off the effects of failure, to rise anew after experiencing setbacks or crises, and to navigate through turbulent times with unwavering determination. Instead of succumbing to despair or resignation, resilient individuals harness their inner strength and resolve to overcome obstacles and solve a problem without falling apart over it. They view professional or personal failure not as a source of shame or a definitive endpoint, but as a stepping stone towards growth and self-improvement. Each setback becomes an opportunity for learning and development, fueling their creativity and capacity for innovation.
Like a dice with many sides, resilience embodies contrasting yet complementary aspects of human nature. Much has been written and debated about its importance for societies and countries, but also for individuals in the face of crises in their professional or personal lives.
Do you sometimes wonder whether we speak of the same kind of resilience in both systems – professional and personal? One could argue that in our career, we can become more resilient if we acquire certain skills through learning processes or if we are coached and mentored towards a certain behavior. This becomes more complex and requires specialized training in cases where we have a leadership position with responsibility for teams.
At the same time, it seems that in our personal lives, our level of resilience is shaped by our subconscious, thus requiring other strategies for tackling. Or is resilience just a general character trait? And are the same forces at work in both systems while our emotions of the moment just give it different shades and intensity?
The answer is that all of it may be true, depending on the person and situation. In part our resilience level is due to the resources we carry inside, what has been transmitted to us over generations, or what we learned at a young age. That is the foundation we can build and work on to strengthen our resilience, raising it to a level where we become more aware of it. Some people are naturally resilient at an early age, while for others it will be a life-long work in progress.
An example: Each one of us must have been at least once in a situation where we experienced some kind of sudden existential stressor or chronic burden. How did it make us feel (angry, frightened, overwhelmed)? What was our reaction (victim, fighter)? How long did it take us to cope or overcome? Did we ask for and receive support?
Strengthening our resilience means above all being able to recognize and access our inner resources. A self-aware individual who is grounded in the moment and highly focused in a time of crisis is better equipped to understand the reactions to stressors, recognize the triggers, and make conscious choices to cope effectively.
But let’s take a look at the seven pillars that have been identified as being essential for a resilient human being:
Optimism: The toughest situations often bear the greatest growth potential. A positive, hopeful, and realistic attitude will help you find the way to a good inner place where you can take action and expect a positive outcome. Once you reach this place, you are already turned towards the future.
Acceptance: Being able to accept a situation that you cannot change or influence is an important step in the direction of leaving the past behind. Adapting to changing circumstances or demands is a conscious and proactive choice that makes you a possibility thinker.
Focus on Solutions: With a meaningful purpose, you will find life more motivating and rewarding. A solution-oriented attitude helps you see opportunities and alternatives. Taking small but conscious steps on the way to reaching your goal enhances your chance of success.
Self-regulation: The way you deal with your feelings, frustrations, and failures shows how well you know your boundaries and can stay in control. If you feel overwhelmed and like a victim, a guided change of perspective (coaching) will help you contemplate the situation with more clarity and calm.
Connection: A support system that you can rely on throughout periods of adversity (family, friends, mentors) is vital to preserving your mental health. It pays off long-term to invest time and energy in nurturing your social contacts and get involved in networks that pursue a worthy cause.
Responsibility: Knowing thoroughly your skills and competencies enables you to make decisions and assume responsibility for yourself and others. Responsible people are those with a growth mindset, who see the greater picture, realize projects, and motivate others to give their best.
Planning: Resilient people can visualize themselves in the future and see success at the end. To be effective in your planning, you may find it helpful to carry out a thorough inventory of your values, needs, and wishes as well as your strengths and shortcomings. If you know what is important to you, you can plan the path forward.
Because of the continuous and multiple changes and profound social transformations happening around us, the seven pillars are an important helpline, which ensures that our resilience today will most likely still suffice in our world of tomorrow.
Especially in the professional environment, which is marked by rapid technological advancements, it is paramount for leaders at all levels to demonstrate not only their adaptability to change but also their capacity to innovate, solve complex problems, leverage diversity with emotional intelligence to achieve a greater impact and use technology wisely, thus creating value for organizations and society.
Adopting a resilient attitude proactively requires a thorough mindset shift. But by harnessing new methods and findings, leaders can unlock unexpected possibilities for efficiency, productivity, and collaboration, driving sustainable success in the dynamic realm of business and entrepreneurship. Then, resilience becomes not only a survival strategy but a competitive advantage.
Tatjana Gaspar, Coach, Consultant, Author
Tatjana Gaspar is a certified Systemic Coach and Online Trainer who uses methods that focus on the clients’ individual goals, thus aiming at improving their business or life situation. She is also the CEO of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce in Switzerland, where she organizes events, hosts webinars and is responsible for operational and financial issues. Before coaching, she spent 20 years in international wealth management and leadership positions with different banks in Zurich. Initially, Tatjana obtained a Degree in Hispanic and Russian Literature and History from the University of Geneva. She is a firm believer in life-long learning and fluent in seven languages.
