Team resilience is not just survival. It is changing the rules of your fitness. And this goes beyond adaptation. Team resilience is nurtured, not bought just as true grit is nurtured, not bought.

It’s tuning your team so that it adapts to a new reality. One that’s tougher, meaner, against you. Team resilience is all about moving along this new reality.

Making the most of it while still aiming for success. Counting your losses and moving on despite feeling down. Markedly, moving one step closer to what you’ve set to achieve. All in all, team resilience is all about reaching set goals despite losses.

It’s what makes a team go above and beyond. And it’s something you can cultivate. Here’s how.

#1 Welcome change

The hard truth is that change is the only constant. Embracing it allows you to do better once the unavoidable happens.

Team resilience doesn’t mean that you have to win against all odds. It means that you have to endure to the very end. Because those who endure conquer. And if you fail to account for change, you will not overcome.

Do not expect your team to go against anything and win. But do prepare your team to go against anything and triumph. All sorts of things can go wrong. Or differently to what you’d expect.

There are two things you can do. The contingency plan and the right mindset. The contingency plan is pretty clear. In case something goes wrong, we will do this. If A, then B. It’s that clear.

However, building the right mindset is tougher. In case something goes wrong and there’s no contingency, they’ll do the best we can. Team resilience is your contingency.

Also, bear in mind that some things cannot be changed. Adapting to the unchangeable sets you for success. Being stuck in wishing things worked differently, sets you to fail. Make that the golden rule of the team.

Once you dropped the plate, leave all regrets. Let only future plans conquer your mind. Act now, on the spot. No regrets.

#2 Set clear goals

Team resilience means not giving in to obstacles. Rising up to the challenge, even when the challenge has changed. Or the challenge is unfair, costly and punishing. But without goals, there’s no challenge.

Without steering the team a certain way, you can’t have team resilience. Setting goals means that your team can now build the tracks. And move on the tracks towards those set goals. And once they reach an obstacle, they can deal with, for those set goals.

Setting goals works on so many levels. It develops the capacity for realistic strategy. Moreover, it motivates people to reach set goals. Thus, it provides everyone with the plus side: a boost in confidence and well-being.

Working with clear goals also improves how we relate to ourselves and to others. Also, it can improve impulse control on the whole. When you know what you’re after, you adjust course while moving. Be it emotionally or rationally, you start falling in line.

Sure, you might think that settings goals decreases flexibility. And that, at its core, team resilience needs some amount of flexibility. You know, bouncing right back off an obstacle. In fact, setting team goals boosts team flexibility. Why? Because you’re not setting a process. You’re setting a destination. In effect, you’re sending a message to your team. And that message is: this is your opportunity to grow.

#3 Encourage self-development and personal growth

Your team gets better when each individual member grows. To maximize this improvement, have each teammate share. Growing and sharing are two clear set ways of improving your team resilience.

Bear in mind that growth can happen on several accounts. Firstly, you can grow by learning new things. Any skills acquisition counts as growth. Secondly, you can grow through self-discovery. In the right light, any sort of personal experience can inspire or motivate.

Even more, some experiences can change you as a person. And your team can grow alongside your experience. Just to point out the power of personal experience, imagine running a marathon for a cause. A good team will rally up right behind you. They’ll sign your donation sheet as much as your family and friends. They’ll visit you in the hospital. And they won’t slack while you’re working hard.

Lastly, it’s personal triumphs that inspire as much as personal tragedies. Because when facing loss of any kind, you learn empathy. Your relations will improve; you will learn to express care and listen better. The same goes with winning. Individual wins can be team wins. All you need to do is share. And your personal growth generates team growth.

#4 Use goal contagion to teach team resilience

As a leader, be proactive and develop a “can do” attitude. That’s what your team needs to become resilient. Leadership that shows the way, not leadership that paves the way. Show the way to go, show how to go. Even go as far as showing how to pave the way.

Become the embodiment of achieving. Inspire people with goal contagion, because goal contagion works. If your goal is to reach objectives, your team will follow. If your goal is to be resilient, your team will be resilient.

Leading by example means that you need to take an active role. Play an active role at all levels. Resilience means staying active in front of adversity. When things change, change with them. Team resilience means that there’s no freezing time. Everybody’s on the move to cover for what’s changed. And you need to be at the front of it all. Hence, resilient leaders are amazing at developing team resilience. Ponder on this Rocky Balboa quote for a moment:

“Life’s not about how hard of a hit you can give… it’s about how many you can take, and still keep moving forward.”

Resilience is something we love to be inspired about. We’re interested. And goal contagion will pick up this task and inspire teams to be resilient.

To conclude, the best way to cultivate team resilience is a bit of everything. You can inspire people with goal contagion. And you can teach them resilience this way. Moreover, you can teach about change and show your team how to be adaptive. Most importantly, you can encourage self-development. Shifting the focus towards building the self works. Besides, true resilience is something that takes time. And taking that time for your team to grow will be rewarding.