Build Your Resilience to Navigate Turbulent Times
by Beth Porter, Senior Marketing Consultant at Four Corners Broadcasting & LLP Class of 15-16
December 15, 2025
I admire leaders who act as anchors in turbulent times, providing stability and direction when external conditions are uncertain. That skill is known as resilience! Luckily, resilience is a learned capability that can be intentionally developed and strengthened over time. How do you develop it?
First you must focus on the basics. Your health and well-being are foundational to resilience. This includes sleep, hydration, exercise, and healthy mechanisms for stress relief. Say “no” when necessary to protect your energy and create clear work/life boundaries. Your beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions shape how you approach challenges. The cornerstone of resilience is to develop a growth mindset.
Here are a few ways to build resilience in your life:
- Reframe failures: See these not as personal shortcomings, but as learning opportunities and adventures. Celebrate the effort and process (strategies and hard work) in addition to the final result.
- Challenge Your Inner Critic: Cultivate a hopeful, yet realistic, outlook rather than dwelling on negative self-talk. Harness the Power of "Yet"—add it to a self-limiting belief (e.g., "I can't master AI yet") to reframe it as a temporary state that can be overcome with time and effort.
- Practice Self-Compassion: Acknowledge that you are human; mistakes are part of life. Treat yourself with kindness and patience, reducing the fear of failure and making it easier to try again.
- Focus on What You Can Control or Influence: Don't expend energy worrying about external factors beyond your control.
- Practice Gratitude: Make a habit of acknowledging and appreciating positive experiences and small accomplishments every day.
- Actively Seek and Use Feedback: View constructive criticism as a valuable tool for self-improvement, not a personal attack. Proactively ask for specific feedback and use it to refine your approach for next time.
- Be Willing to Be Uncomfortable and Take Risks: Stepping outside your comfort zone is essential for growth. Start with small challenges to build confidence in your ability to adapt and learn.
- Cultivate a Sense of Purpose: Connecting your goals to a larger "why" can fuel your motivation and help you persist through challenging times.
- Learn From Other's Examples: Study success stories to see how others overcame setbacks. It is inspirational to realize success is often due more to perseverance than innate genius.
Incorporating even a few of these can help you become that strong, resilient leader you can be.