Resilience needs values

How Our Inner Beliefs Empower Us

Especially in challenging times, we seek stability and strength to overcome obstacles. Did you know that values play a crucial role in this? Learn in this blog post how deeply rooted beliefs and principles influence our individual resilience competence and why this becomes particularly visible in leadership.

The Connection Between Resilience and Values

Values are deeply rooted convictions and principles that guide our thoughts, actions, and behavior. Furthermore they support, sustain, and strengthen our individual resilience competence. Values also play a significant role in resilience development. Moreover they provide a framework for internal resilience, helping us navigate challenging times. Values act as a guiding star for our decisions, influencing our responses to challenges, setbacks, and stressors. In Addition research has consistently shown that values always guide our actions. The relationship between resilience and values is well illustrated in the context of leadership.

Resilience and Values in Leadership

In leadership, resilience means that leaders can embrace change to overcome obstacles and support team members in becoming more resilient themselves. To achieve both, resilience in leadership requires lived values. Take credibility, for example. Therefore when leaders authentically live their values, they create a trustful atmosphere benefiting the entire team, forming a strong foundation for resilience.

Consider the aspect of inspiration. Leaders who live their values are perceived as more inspiring role models by their team members. By sharing and exemplifying their experiences, they inspire their teams to cope better with difficulties.

Especially regarding decision-making, resilient leaders make decisions based on their values, using them as guidelines to overcome challenges. Leaders who live values contribute to a significantly more positive organizational culture. Employees in such a culture generally feel better supported and can navigate changes more effectively. When resilient individuals live values, it enhances their ability to adapt to changes and remain flexible. They use their stabilizing values as a guide to develop new strategies when old ones no longer work.

Scientific Insights on Resilience and Values

Research on values, an area I’ve explored for many years, is extensive. In summary, the following insights regarding resilience can be highlighted: Numerous studies have demonstrated the impact of values on well-being and mental health, showing a significant correlation. Studies on value-based actions have revealed that such actions strengthen well-being, self-esteem, and mental health. Regarding value congruence (the alignment between communicated and lived values), it has been proven to lead to greater authenticity, strengthening job satisfaction, relationships, and life satisfaction. Conversely, studies on value conflicts show the opposite effect. When there’s a discrepancy between proclaimed and lived values, employees experience dissatisfaction, stress, and conflicts. All these findings underscore the positive and negative connection between resilience and values.

Values Behind the Factors of the persolog® Resilience Model

Using the example of Acceptance, Self-Efficacy, and Responsibility

Looking at the 10 factors of the persolog® Resilience Model, specific values can be attributed to these factors, influencing and promoting each respective factor. The low prioritization of these values can indicate why a factor may be less pronounced.

For the resilience factor of Acceptance, the following values can be associated:

1. Tolerance and Respect: An open attitude towards others, acknowledging their uniqueness, appreciating diversity rather than rejecting others.
2. Openness: Accepting new ideas and perspectives without biases and preconceived opinions.
3. Self-Acceptance: Embracing one’s weaknesses and strengths, freeing oneself from self-criticism and self-doubt.
4. Equality: Recognizing others as equal and worthy regardless of their origin, skin color, or religion, preventing discrimination and prejudices, fostering positive relationships.

For the resilience factor of Self-Efficacy, the following values can be associated:

1. Self-Confidence: Strengthening skills and strengths, providing a sense of competence and belief in achieving goals.
2. Goal Orientation: An expression of determination, contributing to working with motivation and commitment towards goal achievement.
3. Autonomy: The ability for self-leadership and decision-making, defining personal values and measuring actions against them, a sense of control over one’s life.
4. Willingness to Learn: Openness and willingness to continually develop personally, fostering a positive attitude towards new challenges and successfully overcoming them.
5. Persistence: Fosters endurance and perseverance in challenging times, preventing premature giving up, even when faced with difficulties.

For the resilience factor of Responsibility, the following values can be associated:

1. Personal Responsibility: Taking responsibility for one’s actions and recognizing that we are the main actors in our own lives.
2. Integrity: Honesty, sincerity, and adherence to principles guiding one’s actions.
3. Reliability: Upholding agreements and commitments, standing by one’s word.
4. Care: Having the well-being of others in mind, showing compassion.
5. Sustainability: Gentle use of resources, recognizing responsibility for future generations, striving for a sustainable future.
6. Community Orientation: Strengthening the common good and supporting the community, strengthening society.

Are Values Trainable?

Each person has their own value construct prioritizing certain values. If a resilience factor is not strongly pronounced, it’s likely that the associated values don’t have the highest priority. However, working on values is somewhat possible. The values don’t even have to be “your” values. The adaptation process involves intention + emotion = action. Initially, it’s about changing our intentions, triggering emotions that prompt us to react in specific ways in certain situations (Insider Tip: Interpretation Level 4 in the persolog® Personality Model reveals more about this). Thus, consciously deciding, for example, to show more willingness to learn can help improve resilience competence in the corresponding factor.