What are some of the challenges of being resilient in a fast-paced and competitive environment?

Be aware of the signs and symptoms of burnout, including physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion, decreased motivation, irritability, and feelings of cynicism or detachment, and recognizing these signs early can help you take proactive steps to address burnout before it becomes more severe. Establish clear boundaries between work and personal life to prevent burnout, for this may involve setting limits on work hours, taking regular breaks, and prioritizing self-care activities such as exercise, relaxation, and spending time with loved ones. Protecting your time and energy outside of work is essential for maintaining balance and preventing burnout...

I know resilience in a fast-paced, competitive environment can be tough. Burnout is a real challenge, taking your energy, motivation, and well-being. It can leave you feeling detached and cynical. Balancing your workload with the available resources is essential to avoid this. Setting healthy boundaries and prioritizing your own needs is critical, not optional. Remember, it's okay to ask for support from others when you need it. Resilience isn’t about pushing through alone; it’s about smart self-management and knowing when to reach out for help. Stay connected, stay balanced, and take care of yourself.

In her research, Dr. Christina Maslach discusses the three prongs of burnout - emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased sense of personal accomplishment. With the right tools in place to help us cope with change and foster resilience, we simultaneously decrease the drivers of burnout. Some of the areas we can focus on in work environments to promote both increases in resilience and decreases in burnout include teamwork, community, mentorship, feeling a sense of true engagement with one’s work, opportunities for growth and autonomy, psychological safety, belonging and inclusion, and compassion. When we slow down and emphasize these important aspects of the workplace, the benefits will make it worth it!

Alguns dos desafios de ser resiliente nesse contexto são: Lidar com a pressão e o estresse constantes, que podem afetar a saúde física e mental, a produtividade e a motivação. Para superar esses desafios, é preciso desenvolver uma mentalidade de crescimento, que consiste em acreditar no próprio potencial, buscar feedbacks, aproveitar as oportunidades, assumir riscos e celebrar as conquistas. Além disso, é importante contar com o apoio de uma rede de confiança, que pode oferecer orientação, inspiração, reconhecimento e incentivo. Por fim, é fundamental cuidar da saúde física e mental, praticando atividades físicas, alimentando-se bem, dormindo adequadamente, meditando, relaxando e se divertindo.

At one point in my career, I was managing two highly demanding companies simultaneously, working tirelessly while coping with a disability. This relentless pace meant working seven days a week with little time for rest. Inevitably, I reached a state of burnout, which made me realise the critical importance of self-care. Recognising the signs of burnout was a wake-up call, leading me to set realistic work boundaries and schedule regular breaks. Prioritising activities that rejuvenated me and seeking support from health professionals improved my well-being, productivity, and effectiveness. This experience taught me that self-care is essential for long-term success and resilience.

Our thoughts determine our beliefs. In my experience, making new “soundtracks” to repeat to myself helps to combat the voices of self doubt. One of my favorite ones is the reminder that “my success is still in progress.”

I think some self-doubt is actually good for you. It can push you to do the best you can and reflect on the things you have done so far. But, never allow self-doubt to stop you from trying new things, fighting for the compensation you deserve, or volunteering yourself to tackle a new challenge. New experiences are always scary, but I can assure you that you will learn a lot from them.

Self-doubt is often fueled by the negative bias our brains are wired for. Ideas to work with this are: -Accept this awareness of our wiring is the first step toward navigating self-doubt -Connect to past successes and strengths to impact the rewiring of your brain to focus on the positive. A gratitude journal could be a very helpful tool. -Surround yourself with a supportive network that offers encouragement and perspective when self-doubt creeps in. -View setbacks as learning opportunities rather than failures. -Meditation and mindfulness can help you stay present and reduce the impact of negative thoughts. -Expanding your skills and knowledge can boost resilience, so take that class for personal and professional development and stretch.

Celebrate Success - even if small. And create those happy moments for yourself - no one else will do it for you. Work hard - there is no alternative to being Resilient. Yes, you can attempt to turn hard into SMART! Record your successes, and publish to the world.

We all experience moments or periods of self-doubt from time to time. During these times, my strategy involves several steps to understand and address the underlying causes of these feelings. First, I take a moment to pause and reflect on the situation. I ask myself specific questions to pinpoint the source of my self-doubt. Is it due to a recent setback or criticism? Am I comparing myself to others or facing a particularly challenging task? Once I’ve identified the root cause, I examine the evidence and challenge any negative thoughts. For example, if I feel inadequate because of a mistake, I remind myself of past successes and what I’ve learned from previous experiences.

The challenge is presented when change is rapid and new solutions for innovations are not developed with resilience by design framework. The business can and does build new solutions, test them out, and then ready to start scaling and later on they would like to discuss the resilience capability of new technology service, product and at that point it can be very hard to asses or create capabilities. Proactive assessment of resilience risks before new launch is planned is necessary. Bring your resilience team into initial conversation when POC is being designed, not after!

Adapting to change requires balancing stability with agility. Resilience enables you to remain grounded during transitions, while flexibility ensures you embrace new approaches. View change as an iterative process; break it into manageable steps and celebrate small wins. Build a habit of continuous learning to stay ahead of customer trends. By staying proactive and developing a growth mindset, you can transform uncertainty into an opportunity for innovation and progress.

In fast-paced environments, conflicts often arise from misaligned priorities or expectations. Resilience in conflict means staying composed and solution-focused. Use emotional intelligence to understand underlying concerns and navigate discussions with empathy. Flexibility allows you to explore compromises or creative solutions that align with customer needs and team goals. By addressing conflicts constructively, you preserve relationships and ensure smoother collaboration moving forward.

In competitive settings, the pressure to succeed can be intense, making setbacks and mistakes particularly difficult to handle. Maintaining resilience involves overcoming the fear of failure, embracing it as an opportunity for growth, and learning from past mistakes to bounce back stronger from setbacks.

Failure is inevitable in competitive landscapes where customer demands evolve rapidly. Resilience enables you to view setbacks as a source of growth. Conduct post-mortems to identify lessons learned and adapt strategies accordingly. Flexibility empowers you to pivot, experimenting with new approaches rather than repeating past mistakes. Celebrate the courage to take risks and focus on progress, fostering a culture that values resilience and continuous improvement.

Working in a fast-paced and competitive environment can lead to a feeling of isolation as you focus on multiple priorities and deadlines. To combat this, take the time to regularly reach out to colleagues and friends. Catch up over a coffee, take a walk, have lunch together. These small gestures have a big impact on our mental wellbeing.

Isolation often arises when navigating intense workloads or adapting to unique challenges alone. Build resilience by fostering meaningful connections with peers and mentors who understand your journey. Flexibility in communication—whether through virtual check-ins or in-person networking—can help you maintain strong professional relationships. Sharing experiences and collaborating on solutions not only combats isolation but also creates a supportive network that enhances collective adaptability to changing customer needs.

In my experience resilience comes from the ability to stay in a growth mindset. In order to learn and thrive from all that we experience and enable us to grow we must build in time to reflect. This is incredibly hard in a fast paced and competitive environment. We must factor this reflection time in. Leaders must build this time into office and virtual work settings. When we reflect on our thoughts, emotions and actions we learn, we get stronger and we thrive.

If we perceive resilience solely as a means to succeed and 'make it' in a fast-paced, competitive environment, we inevitably encounter a host of challenges, such as burnout, isolation, self-doubt, and conflict. However, this perspective is a misconception of what true resilience is. Resilience isn't just about relentless pursuit and enduring hardship; it's about adaptability, learning from experiences, and finding balance. In such environments, the real challenge of resilience lies in maintaining mental and emotional well-being, while also pursuing our goals. It's about developing a sustainable approach that allows for recovery and growth, rather than relentless striving that leads to exhaustion.

I have recommended recording and publishing your successes above. Here is an example - I publish my annual scorecard (for the last two years, 1st Jan 2024 will be the third one) - this self-commitment keeps me on my toes. I can't be stressed, I won't be able to achieve this without being resilient. The second motivation is that I then attempt to do better than the previous year - this once again is possible by being resilient only. Burnout, and stress, won't matter to me now.

after covid. people are much more aggressive fast to get the result. NOW... when we observe the environment in that way. our body tempo need to be slow down and not overspeed our heart tempo in well being. now you see why so many youth just passed out. I m not referring age advanced demographic here. please be aware. deep breathing technique. many thanks

Resilience is not just individual but systemic. Encourage team-wide practices that prioritize adaptability and support. For example, implement cross-functional collaboration to ensure diverse perspectives in solving customer challenges. Celebrate stories of resilience, such as successfully navigating a challenging project or adapting to a disruptive market trend. These narratives reinforce a shared culture of resilience and flexibility, empowering both individuals and teams to excel in fast-paced, competitive environments.