The Steps to Embracing Your Rubber Band Resilience
To learn about growth and resilience, look toward rubber bands! On a recent episode of the Mindfulness Manufacturing podcast, I welcomed corporate energy expert Kathy Parry for an energizing conversation about her ideas on “rubber band resilience” and how manufacturing leaders can embrace the strain that comes with times of tension.
To build your own rubber band resilience, learn about Kathy’s phases of developing resilience for yourself and your team.
Phase One: Honoring Emotions
On the manufacturing floor, there can be high emotions and high stress. In these times, everyone is going to have their own reactions. For example, some people may blow up and get angry. Others might shut down or want to remove themselves from the situation. When these emotions are not addressed or honored, it can lead to burn out, retention issues, or even mental health issues among your team members. To help your team process and manage, take their emotions seriously. Take steps to understand where they are coming from. Try not to trivialize their emotions. By understanding the emotions of your team, it will be easier to improve communications, address challenges, and grow resilience.
Phase Two: Reframing Emotions
Once you know how you and your team members emotionally react, the next step is reframing those emotions. When you know how you react and how the people around you react, you can work to find a solution for all during a disruptive time. Understanding and reframing allows you to say “I know how I react. I know how this team members reacts. Now what can we do to make this work?” Reframing is a time for growth, communication, and solutions! Oftentimes, you can even come out of a challenging time with new skills, real growth, and improved resilience just by learning how to reframe your emotions into productive solutions.
Phase Three: Embracing Pauses
In fast-paced industries like manufacturing, it can be difficult to find a time to take a pause. But Kathy Parry believes that pauses have power! Especially during the reframing phase, it’s important to take a moment to process your emotions and ideas. If you steamroll ahead, you might miss out on valuable reflection or chances for conversations. To improve resilience, take the time you need to reflect and process.
Phase Four: Learn from the Stretch
Even when you’re doing your best as a leader, conflicts and challenges can still arise. When this happens, Kathy Parry’s recommendation is to embrace the stretch. This is where the rubber analogy really comes into play. When a rubber band isn’t occasionally stretched, it loses energy and momentum. Similarly, you can lose your own energy if you aren’t confronted with chances to learn, process, and grow. By encouraging conversation, honoring emotions, and working to reframe, you can turn a stretch into a time for growth and resilience.
Learn More on the Podcast
These are just a few of the great insights Kathy Parry shares on the Mindfulness Manufacturing podcast. To learn more from her high-energy podcast, check it out here.