Building resilience: 5 TED talks to help you through tough times

Summary of our 5 TED Talks on building resilience…

• This enlightening blog post shares five TED Talks that provide insights on building resilience. It includes talks by Dr. Lucy Hone, David Donaldson, and Srikumar Rao. They offer practical advice on how to develop resilience in personal and professional life.
• The talks emphasise the importance of accepting life’s challenges, focusing on what can be controlled, and maintaining a positive outlook. They also highlight the role of resilience in overcoming adversity and achieving success.
• HR professionals should use these talks as resources to foster personal resilience within their teams. This can help both enhance productivity and overall workplace wellbeing.

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Now more than ever, resilience is a key trait for teams and individuals alike. On the tail end of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with uncertain financial times ahead, there’s no telling what may come next.

For HR and business leaders, high levels of stress among the workforce are already leading to increased absence rates, disengagement, and even a heightened risk of burnout. So, it makes sense HR give staff the tools and resources they need to manage their mental wellbeing and build resilience.

Why building resilience matters

Apart from being more resistant to stress in difficult social or financial periods, a resilient team is more likely to perform well once the pressure eases up. In fact, building resilience can play an important role in mental wellbeing and engagement levels across teams. Research by AON found mentally resilient employees to have:

• 47% more enthusiasm about work,
• 46% more energy, and,
• 47% more satisfaction with their workplace.

Individuals with high personal resilience will often feel more confident when it comes to facing personal and professional challenges. It’s likely that they’ll also have better levels of self-esteem which, in turn, can positively impact their approach to new projects.

So, with such wealth of benefits to be had, here are our top 5 TED talks to help build resilience in your team…

1. Cultivating resilience | Greg Eells

Resilience has long been a topic of discussion among scholars, academics, and even religious leaders around the world – and there’s a lot we can learn from their teachings.

As an introduction to the topic, psychologist Greg Eells breaks down the basics of resilience: the ways it can be defined, and the key components that make up a resilient person. Anybody, Eells insists, can learn to be resilient if provided with the right foundations. And, by practising and focusing on a few important values, we can all find ways to take stressful situations in our stride.

2. The three secrets of resilient people | Lucy Hone

With the foundations in place, practising resilience should be a piece of cake… right? But in reality, that’s rarely the case…

Expert Lucy Hone hasn’t just studied resilience, but has put her knowledge to practice, too. In an inspiring talk, she discusses her education in resilience and shares exactly how it helped during a stressful period in her own life – even with the unexpected difficulties and emotions that arose along the way.

In three steps, she breaks down the importance of a logical approach over an instinctive emotional one, and explores how others can tackle setbacks in a similar way.

3. How to build resilience as your superpower | Denise Mai

Everybody starts out on a different path when it comes to building resilience – and there’s no denying that for some, circumstances will always be more difficult than for others.

In a remarkable recount of her own story, however, Denise Mai argues that taking ownership is the first step to facing our fears – and with a change of perspective, we can build up powerful internal barriers to help stave off stress. Individual choice, she claims, is at the root of conquering doubt. And, by learning from others, creating opportunities out of setbacks, and finding a driving force for our actions, we all can learn to overcome barriers – regardless of our circumstances.

4. The secret of becoming mentally strong | Amy Morin

If you wanted to work on your physical health, you’d make small changes every day. So, why should mental habits be any different?

Therapist Amy Morin explores the impact of harmful beliefs on mental strength, and dives into exactly how we can retrain our brains to more proactively counteract stress. Whether giving up unhelpful mental habits or focusing on adapting new, more productive ones, Morin makes a strong case that consistent practice is at the heart of building resilience through the right mindset.

5. The Way of the Weeble: Cultivating Resilience in Dark Times | Rami Shapiro

Rami Shapiro compares the traits of a resilient person to that of a Weeble: able to bounce back and forth between joy and adversity, while always returning to a central, purpose-driven middle ground.

With reference to his Jewish faith, Shapiro offers insight into how rootedness – and making the most of core mantras and beliefs – can help to centre us in difficult times. It’s important, he says, to experience each of the ups and the downs that life has to offer – so long as we can re-find our footing again every time.