Article: The Forgotten Resilience Hack You Need Today Written by Jack Newnham Tuesday 28 August 2018 Share Share to LinkedIn Share to Facebook Share via email Purpose could be the key to driving resilience at work When President John F. Kennedy visited NASA’s headquarters for the first time in 1961, he spoke to a caretaker who was cleaning the floor, and took the time to ask him about his role. The caretaker replied: “I’m helping put a man on the moon.” The simple statement has gone viral. The story is often used to demonstrate how the leaders of the NASA missions in the 1960s created a compelling goal for the organisation, and also connected the smaller actions of individuals to this big goal. Purpose Breeds Resilience We often hear that purpose is key to having motivation in business, but it can help with resilience too. At an organisational level, making people see how their daily actions tie into the larger objectives of the company they work for can give people a purpose that protects against bumps in the road. Within an ever-changing and more complex working world, it’s vital that managers have resilience skills and help a workforce have them too. Health and Safety Executive statistics tell us that 526,000 workers had work-related stress, anxiety or depression in 2016/17, with 12.5 million working days lost due to the same three conditions. CMI’s own Quality of Working Life report revealed that managers are working an extra 44 days a year, which is having a negative impact on the workplace. One in 10 UK leaders shared that they take at least one day of sick leave annually, because of stress, depression or a mental health issue. Read more: CMI’s Quality of Working Life report How To Identify Purpose Structured self-awareness can help us to identify what causes stress at work, and crucially can help us to identify the purpose that drives us. In this Insights piece, we explained that researchers had identified five questions to build greater self-awareness. The questions include honest self-reflection – where managers spent 30 minutes in a quiet space to review their performance – providing constructive feedback, and showing empathy to colleagues. Why do purpose and resilience matter to a business case? When individuals feel that they have a sense of meaning at work, they are more likely to perform well. CMI’s recent research found that purpose and profitability go hand in hand. And, having a strong business vision is crucial to attracting the best employees, with two in three millennials choosing their employer based on purpose. Read more: The What, The Why and The How of Purpose: A guide for leaders Jack Newnham is workplace wellbeing consultant for Health@Work. Like this article? Why not share it. Share to LinkedIn Share to Facebook Share via email Topic: “I felt I could never let myself do anything wrong, which isn’t healthy” Tegan Ryan CMgr MCMI, our Chartered Manager of the Week, on learning to delegate and build a better work-life balance Read article Article Topic: How CMI training helps me push for change and ‘manage up’ James Dunne-Bennett explains how he’s built relationships with the right people to help drive continuous improvement Read article Article Topic: Networked growth: how managers can help unlock the UK’s potential At a CMI event, Andy Burnham broke down his vision for a prosperous future – and why collaboration is key Read article Article Topic: Workplace Culture Three reasons our relationship with work has become strained Global trends point to an overworked, disengaged and apprehensive workforce, Tim Duggan Read article Article Article Our extensive range of articles are designed to keep you in the loop with all the latest management and leadership best practice, research and news. Members See More CMI Members have access to thousands of online learning and CPD resources. Learn more about our membership benefits Join The Community CMI offers a variety of flexible membership solutions, tailored to your needs. Find out more and get involved in the CMI community today.
