Thrive

Resilience requires more than “grit.”  Develop adaptability and a “growth mindset.”

People began using the word “resilience” a lot during the COVID-19 pandemic. But what does being resilient actually entail? The Oxford English Dictionary defines resilience as the “capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” While straightforward, this definition doesn’t fully encapsulate the resilience teams and individuals need to thrive today. “Recovering” from challenges is important, but it’s backward-looking. You must also feel prepared to weather any future storms life throws your way. Viewing resilience as mental toughness, or “grit,” is also shortsighted. Developing long-term resilience requires adaptability. You can’t succeed by holding fast to behaviors that may have helped in past times but no longer work in your new context.

Thus, a better definition of resilience is the capacity to embrace change and navigate stressful or challenging situations in “real time.” Take inspiration from professional athletes: Olympic champions view pressure as “a privilege...