1. Building Resilience
Leadership Academy Presentation March 2016
Jim Goodrich, Dean
College of Business and Economics
California State University, Los Angeles
jgoodri7@calstatela.edu
In Your Leadership Role

3. Some Definitions
 Resilience
 The capacity to respond quickly and constructively under adverse
circumstances
 Management
 Working with and through others to accomplish organizational goals
 Leadership
 Ability to influence other people
 Coaching
 Building people up – in this case, helping them become more resilient in
handling adversity
 Helping good people to become even better

4.  Opening
 Introductions
 Objectives
 Today’s Agenda
 Definitions and vocabulary
 The New World of Organizations
 What is happening out there?
 How is it impacting our work and lives
 How We Spend our Time
 Short term gratification, long term benefit
 Spending more time succeeding
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Agenda

5.  Psychology of Success
 Locus of Control
 Intrinsic Motivators
 Your role influencing the workspace
 Changing ourselves
 Overcoming some bad habits
 Developing new Habits
 A Resilience Regimen
 Moving from Reflexive to Active thinking
 Developing a Growth Mindset
 Feed forward
 Helping others in their change efforts
 Including others in our success
 Conclusion
 Additional resources, questions
Agenda (continued)

6.  Build resilience to help in our response to mistakes, adversity
and crisis
 Shift our habits and ways of thinking that may hold us back
from success
 Create our own prescription to help in response to triggering
workplace events
 Think of ways we can build our leadership and help each
other out during troubled times
Objectives

7.  Think about something bad that happened to you at work…
 How did it impact you? Your team?
 What was your initial response?
 Did you seek, or receive, any help? From who or where?
 How do you feel about this now?
TAKE SOME TIME – write this down, then share with others
Our Response
Recent Negative Workplace Experience

8.  Pace of Change is accelerating
 Current economy
 Concerns over student debt, degree completion rates
 Public Agencies face significant headwinds (e.g. State budgets)
 “Do more with less” has become a mantra
 There is a mistaken idea that economic recovery will get life back as it
once was
The New World
What’s happening out there?

9.  Pace of Change is accelerating
 Current Economy
 New Technology/Labor-Saving Devices
 Labor-saving devices didn’t…actually led to more work
 Cannot “escape” technology (e.g. robotics for 60% of white collar jobs)
 Work-life balance becomes difficult while working 60-80 hours each week
The New World
What’s happening out there?

10.  Globalization
 Current Economy
 New Technology/Labor Saving Devices
 World of Work
 Job stability evolution
 Flattening organizational structure
 Fewer promotional opportunities
 More work with the same compensation
 Changing definition of what’s acceptable at work
(e.g., factory worker, CSU exec)
The New World
What’s happening out there?

11.  Competition
 The level of competition is changing (e.g. 25 LA MBA providers)
 More schools and education providers around the world
 Online and other modes (MOOCs) threaten local place-centered CSU
The New World
What’s happening out there?

12.  Existing structures and processes are fine for everyday demands of running things
and improving efficiency of repetitive activities
 But the old methodology simply cannot handle rapid change. Hierarchies and
standard management processes are inherently risk-averse and resistant to
transformation, since:
 Managers are reluctant to take chances w/o permission from superiors
 People cling to old habits and fear loss of power or stature (Fixed mindset)
Organizational Challenges
Limits to Hierarchy in Handling Change

13. The positive spirit in what you are doing now. It starts on the
inside and radiates to the outside.
MOJO Model

14. Making MOJO
 Focus on initiating a positive spirit – it starts from the inside
 A lesson from coaching…people get better themselves, not from the coach
 It can’t be faked over time
 People will see the behaviors
 No one is that good at acting
 Your unconscious actions and emotions will betray you
 You know that person who never whines or complains
 He/she has seen adversity…you just can’t see it on their face
 The focus is on the positive, on moving on
 Creating that positive spirit
 First, a framework for focusing the mind…
o Short term gratification
o Long term benefit

15.  Describe your activities at work and think about:
 Short term gratification (happiness)
 Long term benefit (meaning)
You can consider your activities in terms of
These two dimensions.
Assessment Framework

16. Short-Term Gratification
Long-TermBenefit
Achieving both personal and professional success
The MOJO Model

17. Surviving
Short-Term Gratification
Long-TermBenefit
 Low in gratification –
Low in long-term benefit
 It’s drudgery, even
painful sometimes
 Everyone has been in
this box at some point
 Example: Email(?)
Achieving both personal and professional success
The MOJO Model

18. Short-Term Gratification
Sacrificing
Surviving Stimulating
Long-TermBenefit
 High in gratification – Low
in long-term benefit
 It feels good momentarily
 Ultimate is addiction to
drugs or alcohol
 Other examples: Gossip,
whining
Achieving both personal and professional success
The MOJO Model

19. Short-Term Gratification
Stimulating
Sacrificing
Surviving
Long-TermBenefit
 High in long-term
benefit – low in
gratification
 Can be painful
 Martyr complex
 Dramatized in pop
music about the painful
nature of work
Achieving both personal and professional success
The MOJO Model

20. Sacrificing
Surviving Stimulating
Succeeding
Short-Term Gratification
Long-TermBenefit
 Long term benefit –
Short term gratification
 One can have both
 “I love what I do and it
goes somewhere
important.”
 Ex. Coaching a new
employee
Achieving both personal and professional success
The MOJO Model

21. SACRIFICING SUCCEEDING
SURVIVING STIMULATING
(LOW) (HIGH)
(LOW)(HIGH)
LONG-TERM
BENEFIT
SHORT-TERM SATISFACTION
Achieving both personal and professional success
The MOJO Model

22.  List the three or four activities at work* that constitute most of your time.
 Think carefully about which quadrant they fall into; what amount of short term
gain, what kind of long term benefit
 Rate each of these activities on a “MOJO meter” with 1 as low and 10 being
high
 Share with your group
* Note: you could do this for your activities outside of work as well!
Exercise: Time At Work

23.  Consider a person in your life that personifies the “Succeeding” quadrant
 Share in your groups…
 A snapshot of the person’s role and interactions with you
 The distinguishing characteristics, language and behaviors that identify the
person as a “succeeder”
 What could you do to be more like that person?
Putting A Face On MOJO

24.  Ability to block out digital distractions is diminished by "cognitive
exhaustion" they cause
 Distraction and “multitasking” severely reduce productivity
 Mindfulness — training the brain to pay complete attention to the current
moment -- is crucial
 Attention is like a “mental muscle” that can be strengthened
 We can find “flow” by aligning what we do with those things that give
enjoyment and meaning
FOCUS Is A Key Here - Goleman

25.  Can Consider these as Intrinsic Motivators
 People prefer work activities where they can pursue three things:
 Autonomy: People want to have control over their work.
 Mastery: People want to get better at what they do.
 Purpose: People want to be part of something that is bigger than they are.
Daniel Pink – Drive

26. Important Principles
 These motivators are the same in many settings
 Discussions “time when it was great to come to work” use similar
descriptions:
 Community, meaningful work, etc.
 In effective workplaces it’s the boss that is the most important force in
creating these things
 Of course the org sets the basic $$, benefits
 Yet the individual supervisor has biggest impact on your daily working
environment
 That person is YOU – so think about it

27. Some Bad Habits…
that can hold you back from the top
 Winning too much
 Adding too much value
 Passing the buck
 Making destructive comments
 Starting with “No,” But,” or
“However”
 Telling the world how smart you
are
 Playing Favorites
 Claiming the Credit
 Not Listening
 Making Excuses
 Passing judgment
 Too many “gotcha”
communications

28. Overcoming Bad Habits
 William James: “Ninety-nine percent of human activity is done out of mere
habit.” In myriad ways our habits shape our lives.
 Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit): If we confront the root drivers of our
behavior, accept them, and try to channel these same cravings into productive
patterns, we can change our selves and our organizations.
 We need to start by identifying our ROUTINE
 Then we can experiment with REWARDS
 Isolate the CUE
 Have a PLAN
 In this way we can build new habits

29. Creating a New Habit
 Research shows: “successfully creating a new habit helps you then make
positive changes in other areas of your life”
 Understand why you want to start this habit. Connecting a new
behavior to a larger value or goal will make it more meaningful.
 Clearly define a realistic target for the new behavior that can be
counted or measured:
 Track your actions: only by tracking can you know how well you’re doing
- tracking software ex. I Done This (idonethis.com)

30. The Psychology Of Adversity
 We are upset and tend to react reflexively
 Make all kinds of assumptions about the situation – its causes,
magnitude, consequences
 Tend to fall into emotional traps:
 Trap #1 = deflation: we are disappointed in ourselves, especially after a
string of successes.
 Trap #2 = victimization: we focus on the injustice of it all; they just don’t
get it
 We end up feeling besieged and/or helpless

31. Turning Things Around
 If you ask depressing questions, you will get 100% depressing answers!
(“stop digging”)
 Ask (realistic) clarifying questions
 Specifying questions help managers identify ways to intervene
 Visualizing questions help shift attention away from adverse event,
toward positive outcome
 Collaborating questions push us to reach out to others – ideas, problem
solving

32. From Reflexive To Active: Four Dimensions
 CONTROL – what features can I most directly influence?
 IMPACT – how can I step up to make the most immediate and positive
impact?
 BREADTH – how can I limit the damage or transform the situation into an
opportunity?
 DURATION – How long? What will life be like once this is over? What can
I right now do to begin moving in the right direction?

33. Building Our Resilience
 Retrain our habits and responses
 Ask specific clarifying questions
 Avoid endless analysis and assigning blame
 Make a positive difference – don’t just try to “win” or “be right”.
 Think about something new we can take from this situation.
 Focus on the future – “let go” of the past.

35. Developing a Growth Mindset
 Those with a FIXED mindset believe that you have only a fixed amount of
talent, and the emphasis is on performing well; people with fixed mindset try
to appear smart as all costs and fear failure as something to be avoided;
emphasis is on performing well.
 By contrast, people who have a GROWTH mindset seek challenges and
learning opportunities. They don’t see failure as a sign of inadequacy and are
willing to take risks.
 When people are taught a growth mindset, they become more RESILIENT
themselves.
 They are more willing to embrace challenges and more likely to persist when
they confront obstacles.
 In performance reviews try to encourage people, tell stories about high
performing people who were dedicated to their jobs and developed skills
over time. Always praise their efforts to learn.

36. Failure – May Be Key To Success:
 Need to teach a growth mindset
 Getting beyond fear of failure into a culture of encouragement
 Develop staff members who can support you and model the
behavior.
 Prepare yourself for greater responsibility.
 Seek to help others as you move up.

37.  Select an activity and write a goal to change it
 You may change it later
 Get as close as you know right now
 Solicit ideas
 Get a pad and pencil…everyone stand
 You have 15 minutes to collect action ideas
 Pair up…one state a goal and ask for one action idea
 Reverse roles and repeat
 Find another person
 Repeat until time is called
 Refine your list
 Select the 2-3 items from your list that you think
would best live out your goal
Feed – Forward Exercise

38. Conclusions – This Session
 To build resilience, to truly change ourselves, we need to think
about:
 How we react to difficult circumstances
 How we spend our time at work
 What are some of our habits that may limit us and our responses
 What truly motivates us about our work
 How we build credibility and connections with those we work with

39. Future – Increase Ability To:
 Focus in a mindful way on the present and avoid distractions.
 Make a positive difference without direct line authority.
 Develop staff members who can support you.
 Prepare yourself for greater responsibility.
 Create a career that provides both short-term gratification and
long-term benefit.

40. Additional Resources
 The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg (Random House, 2012)
 Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get it Back if you Lose it, by
Marshall Goldsmith (Hyperion, 2009)
 Focus: the Hidden Driver of Excellence by Daniel Goleman (HarperCollins
2013)
 “Why Organizations Don’t Learn,” Francesca Gino and Bradley Staats, Harvard
Bus Review November 2015 (pp. 110-18)
 Drive: What Really Motivates Us, by Daniel Pink (Riverhead Trade 2011 )
 Mindset, the New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck (Ballantine 2006)