What defines and increases resilience in a leader?

Unexpected challenges today batter educational leaders the way a hurricane batters a tree. Some leaders are pulled up by their roots, while others are able to stay strong in the face of the storm. How can the qualities for withstanding adversity be measured and taught?

Resilience is a hot topic. Trends Magazine called it the new strategic imperative for business (June 2007). It was the focus of several sessions at the University of Nebraska's Women in Educational Leadership conference in Lincoln in October. One was led by Dr. Diane E. Reed, associate professor and co-director of the Graduate Educational Leadership Program at St. John Fisher College in Rochester NY. Her "retirement" into college teaching came after 14 years as a school superintendent.

With Dr. Jerry Patterson, professor in educational leadership at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, she started a resilience initiative last May. They have two goals: (1) develop an instrument for measuring resilience and (2) create professional development for leadership resilience.

"Resilient leaders are not born," Reed said. Once resilience can be defined and measured, it can be taught.

Defining resilience

Resilient leaders use energy productively to achieve goals in adverse conditions. They recover and learn from adverse experiences, growing stronger as a result. "This isn't just survival," Reed said.

Leaders' resilience reflects how they view the present and whether they think they can influence the future. It's a long-term orientation within the context of their leadership role.