By Nancy Geenen, MA Ed., J.D.–
Resilience is getting knocked down 10 times and getting up 11. That “grit,” as psychologist Angela Duckworth calls it, is a combination of passion and perseverance. To rise again to your feet that 11th time requires passion for the mission you have chosen, and the willingness to persevere, to keep going despite facing hardships. And, as Charles Darwin held, “It is not the strongest of the species who survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one most adaptable to change.”
During this time of volatility and uncertainty, we must focus on our well-being and our adaptability. The strongest bias we all share is the status quo bias: the resistance to change. How we do business is changing, fast and furiously. Usually, these setbacks and disappointments are part of our growth, and they make our triumphs more worthwhile. But sometimes, setbacks are beyond our control. Resilience requires determination, but not stubbornness.
It is disappointing and humbling to admit that something we have tried and put effort, time, and even money toward is not working. But the ability to admit that something is not working and will not work due to external forces requires a special kind of adaptability. I am not suggesting that we forego our mission and goal. We have to review our situation, adjust our point of view, and pivot to stay focused on the items within our realm of control.
The capacity to restart, to adjust and adapt, and to see in each challenge an opportunity to learn is an interactive and iterative process. There is often a fine line between knowing when to keep on working at something, and when to change course. At this point, it’s important to decide whether to continue or adapt. Resilience is being able to take a long hard look at the action I am taking or the decision I have made and being able to stay open, honest, and vulnerable to learn and to make the decision to grow.
Open means I choose courage over comfort. I feel the pain and disappointment of a setback while working on the next phase of discovery, whether that means staying on the course or going back to the drawing board. Honest means I choose accountability over blame. I own my future; I don’t make excuses or look to shift accountability to others. Vulnerable means I choose to share both my disappointment with the events, and I ask for help to learn, and we all grow from the experience. As Brené Brown notes, there is a big difference between, “I am a failure,” and, “I have failed.”
As the business of diversity, equity, and inclusion adjusts to the present reality, we must be ready to stand together and fight for human-centered workplaces that value the contributions of our different lived experiences. There are still good people doing good work. Find them. Support them. Become part of that stakeholder community.
Nancy Geenen is the Acting President of the Golden Gate Business Association. She is also the Principal and Chief Executive Officer at Flexibility https://www.flexability.com/
GGBA Message from Leadership
Published on March 27, 2025
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