Paul Lyons, recruitment expert, speaker and mental toughness coach, explains why you should put staff resilience at the top of your agenda.
Resilient staff are vital to successful businesses. After all, whether times are good or bad, it is the people who are the lifeblood of any organisation.
When staff are recruited or promoted, resilience and mental toughness are not at the top of the decision-making criteria. But perhaps they should be. Mental toughness can improve an individual’s performance by up to 25%, so think about the impact on the total business if everybody’s mental toughness could be improved!
Why Do Resilient Staff Perform Better?
One explanation for resilient people performing well is their natural tendency to believe in themselves and set goals. As Henry Ford said:
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.”
So these people are often the ‘glass half full’ type, but there’s more to it than that.
Mentally tough workers have strong results in what we call the 4 C’s:
- Control – a strong sense of control over their own destiny
- Commitment – to achieve goals
- Challenge – regard problems as self-development opportunities
- Confidence – in their abilities to succeed and overcome obstacles
When all these personality traits come together in the right way, there is a powerhouse effect. Adversity is turned into a positive. Stress is channelled effectively and productively. If challenges arise, you want these people working for you and not the competition!
Harnessing the Power of Mental Toughness
The first step in harnessing the power of mental toughness is to understand the make-up of your organisation. How mentally tough is each employee? This can be measured through a specialised psychometric assessment called MTQ48, which was developed in collaboration with Professor Peter Clough of Manchester Metropolitan University and Dr Keith Earle, at the University of Hull, both internationally renowned applied psychology experts.
It takes just 8-10 minutes to complete and provides valuable information to help you identify future leaders, best-fit employees for specific roles, or the most suitable candidates for a new position.
The great news is that mental toughness can be taught and developed, just like any other skill. Use the MTQ48 results to help you target staff development programs and team building training.
Mental Toughness Packages
Take the first step in improving the resilience and performance of your staff and contact us for more information on how to build resilient staff.
Building Resilient Staff
We’ve discussed resilient staff as a direct factor in improving business performance, but we shouldn’t overlook the impact on the well being of an organisation. Resilient staff are happier, less stressed, have lower absenteeism and create a positive working culture.
As part of your corporate social responsibility, programs that improve the health and well being of staff are highly valuable. You are helping them develop better skills not only for work, but also for the challenges they face in their personal lives. Anxiety and mental health problems are increasing in our community, so businesses can play a vital role in providing the resilience skills our society needs.
Take a final moment to think about the impact a 25% performance improvement could have on your business. If you’d like to stay up-to-date with mental toughness news and events, subscribe to our newsletter.