Resilient Leadership: A Reflection on Learning, Growth and Leading Through Challenge
Resilient Leadership: A Reflection on Learning, Growth and Leading Through Challenge
Resilience is often spoken about as a personal trait, the ability to bounce back, adapt, and keep going despite pressure. But during the developing your team’s resilience programme, I have come to understand resilience as something far broader. Resilient leadership is not just about how I cope. It is about the environment I create the way I communicate, and the conditions I nurture that allow my team to stay steady, resourceful, and confident in the face of uncertainty.
This blog reflects on what I have learned about resilient leadership through the programme, what I have discovered about myself, and how I am now trying to strengthen resilience within my team.
Resilience Starts with Self-Awareness
One of the most important insights I gained was recognising how my own communication patterns can either support or hinder resilience in others. I noticed early on that I can sometimes rush into problem-solving, driven by a desire to help quickly. What I learned is that this instinct, although well-intentioned can unintentionally override the team’s ability to think, reflect, and build coping strategies independently.
Developing resilience in others requires a leader who can manage their own emotional responses, regulate their pace, and stay present. This echoes findings in the wider leadership literature, which highlight emotional self-regulation as a core component of resilient leadership (Luthans & Vogelgesang, 2007).
Constructive Conversations as a Tool for Resilience
A significant turning point for me was learning and practising more constructive conversations, particularly using the SBII model (Situation, Behaviour, Impact, Improvement). I discovered that structure does not restrict compassion, it supports it.
By using a clearer, calmer approach to discussing challenges, team members feel:
- Psychologically safe
- More willing to reflect openly
- Less defensive
- More able to learn from setbacks
This aligns with research showing that psychologically safe environments contribute directly to team resilience and adaptability (Edmondson, 2019).
What I also noticed is that role modelling vulnerability such as stating when I do not have all the answers had a noticeably positive impact. It shifted the dynamic from “leader as problem-solver” to “leader as partner in learning”, which strengthened trust and reduced pressure.
The Power of Curiosity and Listening
The programme encouraged me to slow down and listen with curiosity rather than focusing on solutions. In doing so, I realised how often team members already hold the answers they simply need space to process them aloud. This approach mirrors theories of coaching-style leadership, which is shown to improve team resilience by fostering autonomy and confidence (Crabb, 2011).
By becoming a more curious leader, I have seen increased openness in the team. People are more willing to come forward early with concerns, which is a key marker of a resilient culture.
Strengthening Resilience Through Feedback
Understanding brain-friendly feedback helped me recognise how easily feedback can trigger defensiveness. The brain’s threat response can shut down learning unless feedback is delivered with care (Rock, 2008). This made me rethink the way I approach these conversations.
I now:
- Ask permission before giving feedback
- Use neutral, specific language
- Focus on behaviour, not personality
- Keep the conversation forward-looking
These shifts have made feedback moments less about critique and more about growth, which is essential for developing resilient practice
What I Am Now Doing Differently
From the programme, I have committed to:
- Stopping avoidance of difficult conversations
- Starting to use SBII consistently
- Changing how I approach uncertainty, embracing it rather than trying to control it
- Doing more active listening, reflection, Team reflection spaces such as debriefs, reflective practice, safety huddles to help staff process emotional load and reconnect with purpose.
- Setting clearer expectations about professional behaviour and teamwork,
- Using curiosity-led conversations to explore the reasons behind behaviours, rather than assuming lack of willingness or commitment.
- Recognising and celebrating small positive changes to reinforce progress and build morale
In doing so, I have noticed the team increasingly supporting one another, responding more calmly to challenges, and feeling more confident voicing concerns or uncertainties.
Final Thoughts: Resilience as Shared Leadership
Resilience is not built in isolation. It grows in environments where leaders communicate openly, listen deeply, provide clarity without judgement, and empower others to think for themselves.
Resilient leadership is not about being unshakeable, it is about being authentically human, adaptable, and committed to collective strength. It is about creating teams who don’t just survive difficult moments but grow through them.
About the author- Febi Olaseinde
Febi is a CAMHS Clinical Charge Nurse.
Harvard References
Crabb, S. (2011) The use of coaching principles to foster employee engagement. The Coaching Psychologist, 7(1), pp.27–34.
Edmondson, A. (2019) The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. Hoboken: Wiley.
Luthans, F. and Vogelgesang, G. (2007) ‘Resilience: The construct and its development’, in Luthans, F. (ed.) Positive Organizational Behavior. San Diego: Elsevier, pp. 319–333.
Rock, D. (2008) ‘SCARF: A brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others’, NeuroLeadership Journal, 1(1), pp.44–52.
