Andy Murray had a lot of support this year at Wimbledon – after winning the Olympics on home turf, the British public really got behind him. However, whilst he said himself that the crowd helped him in his battle to win, he was under a huge amount of pressure to succeed.
Throughout his career – and indeed during last week’s matches – Murray has experienced setbacks that I’m sure have knocked his confidence. However, it’s his ability to cope under pressure and bounce back after defeats that have enabled him to get to where he is today. In fact, after Murray’s win on Sunday, Tim Henman said that it was his self-belief, determination and desire to achieve goals that helped to separate him from the rest. To be a successful tennis player, you need more than just the physical ability, it’s important to have the right mindset. And Murray has become a strong and successful player because he also has high levels of resilience.
Resilience is a trait that is important, not only for sports professionals, but for all individuals throughout their career. School leavers or graduates, for instance, have a tough time when it comes to job hunting due to high competition for roles. However, if they’re able to develop their resilience, they’ll be better adapted to cope with any setbacks. Furthermore, they’ll also possess key qualities such as a constructive work attitude, higher performance, lower levels of stress and absenteeism, and will be more likely to gain and hold onto employment.
Resilience is also fundamental for those in leadership roles. Businesses are constantly changing in response to external factors, and their leaders need to adapt and transform with increasing speed. Resilience is recognised as having an important role to play in long term leadership success, enabling individuals to thrive in highly stressful situations and have the self-belief that they can address any obstacles.
Interestingly, earlier this week it came to light that The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) – which is responsible for developing new talent in tennis – is experiencing an apparent ‘crisis of leadership’ as its chief executive steps down in September. The search for a candidate is underway, and they’d benefit from looking at Murray’s key qualities when it comes to identifying the next leader.
In fact, resilience is something that all employees should be assessing for when it comes to taking on a new hire, and HR professionals have a responsibility in recognising its importance. However, it’s a trait that only comes with experience, and applicants shouldn’t always be expected to have developed it in high levels. It’s important that, after taking on an employee, you have a focus on enhancing resilience throughout their career so that you have the best talent in place for the future.
a&dc is hosting a resilience questionnaire training course in September, whereby participants will learn how to administer, interpret and provide feedback using our Resilience Questionnaire. For more information, visit our website.
