By Kim Franklin
For credit union employees to be successful, they must be able to face adverse situations directly and overcome the litany of challenges that arise. The debate continues as to why some individuals excel at this and others do not. Usually, these conversations amongst academia and business professionals rightfully lead back to an employee’s ability to be resilient.
The American Psychological Association classifies resilience as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress.” While many believe that resilience is a trait that is fully developed once a person reaches adulthood, this couldn’t be further from the truth! Resilience is a trait that can be learned and fostered with the right guidance. The following are just a few ways you can start cultivating resilience among your credit union employees right now.
Establish Goals
As a credit union leader, you must work collectively with your employees to establish clear, expressible goals. These goals will serve as the blueprint for long term objectives and success. Leaders should always reiterate to their employees the importance of achieving goals and not losing focus over seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
Promote Positive Perception
Inevitably, your employees will face hostile events that will challenge their reserve. Whether negative feedback from a superior or the inability to complete a task, credit union employees will encounter adversity. An employee will either perceive the event as solely negative or will perceive it as an opportunity to grow in their skills and abilities. Adversity provides opportunities to overcome discomfort and fortify one’s resiliency.
Embrace Uncomfortable Situations
Human nature dictates responses in most harmful or uncomfortable situations in that we choose the ‘fight or flight’ response. Credit union employees must make a conscientious effort to resist the flight temptation in situations where their weaknesses or vulnerabilities may be exposed. Employees must be courageous in facing those difficult circumstances as this allows them to sharpen their skills in managing their responses.
Provide Support
The above matters will not be an easy undertaking for any employee. As such, your employees will need support from managers as well as other coworkers. Employees need a communal support system that will allow them to take risks and to recover from their failures. While these failures will be painful, they are crucial for your employees to grow and build their resilience in facing those adverse conditions.
Credit union leaders must recognize the need to foster resiliency and protect employees in an everchanging financial services industry. By emulating resiliency themselves and providing the needed support, leaders will help employees develop the skills needed to navigate circumstances that challenge their resolve.
Kim Franklin is Human Resources Manager at EPL, Inc. For info: www.eplinc.com.