The Importance of Business Resilience: How BRMs Can Build Resilience in Themselves and Their Organizations
Welcome to my post, where I will discuss the importance of business resilience and how BRMs can become resilient themselves to influence their organization positively. It’s imperative in today’s fast-paced environment, where change and adversity are constant. I’ve seen firsthand how being resilient has helped IT Chapter, the IT services and training company I co-founded 20 years ago, withstand various industry and business landscape challenges. Recently IT Chapter became a part of an international technology company Apside Group and, like all businesses in this sector, is facing rapid changes.
To remain strong, we ensure the steps to keep ourselves resilient, which I would also like to share with the broader audience of BRMs.
It’s essential to be resilient, both for individuals and businesses. It means weathering any storm that comes on the way and coming out stronger on the other side. Resilience isn’t just about surviving; it’s about thriving and finding new opportunities in adversity. With resilience, organizations can adapt to changes and navigate through unexpected obstacles without damaging their operations, reputation, or financial stability. So, what can organizations do to promote resilience?
Resilient Organizations
Resilient organizations plan ahead: they anticipate risks and plan for different scenarios. They adapt quickly, prioritize agile methods, learn from failures, and innovate.
constantly while focusing on the long-term vision. They embrace technology, adopt transparent communication, foster a culture of innovation, and encourage employees to think creatively and embrace change. Resilient organizations are willing to take risks, experiment, and learn from failure.
How We Did It at IT Chapter
In IT Chapter, we learnt how to do this in progression. Before the pandemic, we applied various approaches to keep our team resilient: regular informal gatherings, mentoring, coaching, supporting creativity and innovations, and leaders’ availability for reflection and sharing, to name a few. Things have changed upon switching, as many other companies, to the utterly remote mode of work three years ago, after rapidly leaving the office in March 2020 following the public health authority’s request.
Our training rooms which we had arranged just a couple of months before, became empty, and the consulting mandates were paused for several months until clients had rebuilt their work arrangements. Our employees worried, of course, the stress was high. Some former approaches were no longer applicable in remote company operations, and we had to find new ways. We started to promote collaboration, trust, autonomy, and teamwork, reducing stress. We cultivated the safe, “no blame” culture, fostering relationships.
We are proud to be a knowledge company; education is in our DNA, and we use this strength to our advantage. We kept training and coaching each other on new skills and genuinely cherished each team member’s expertise and mutual contribution. We adopted business agility methods, staying focused but flexible; in any project, we progress in iterations while focusing on value. Internal communication became a top priority for everyone in remote settings. We took advantage of the pause in business activities at the beginning of the pandemic to focus on implementing collaborative technology, developing the Learning Management System, CRM system, and integrating and automating all our operations, which allowed us to become a fully digital company. We hired new talents. And last but not least: to preserve the employees’ well-being, we initiated a regular team lightweight exercise program led by a professional instructor via ZOOM twice weekly!
This is an incredibly fun and challenging exercise that contributes to mental and physical health of the team. I recommend this now to each company whose employees work remotely. After several months of the pause, with full automation, each of our employees could focus on value-added activities, bringing IT Chapter new opportunities and leading to rapid growth.
Those are just some elements of resilience we apply to our business and our employees, and I would love to hear from the community about their organization’s resilience approaches!
What is most important, resilient organizations must empower their employees, build relationships, and ensure their employees’ well-being. Organizations must acknowledge the importance of and invest in their employees’ resilience. Organizations can help their employees better cope with challenges by providing resources for mental and physical health and stress management.
So, what about BRMs?
How can they contribute? BRMs can play a vital role in promoting resilience within their organizations. They can lead by example and demonstrate how prioritizing emotional well-being and adaptability can impact their business and strengthen their enterprise. BRMs must build a resilient approach that can withstand whatever comes their way.
A person’s resilience is their ability to handle life’s difficulties with adaptability and emotional strength while maintaining a positive mindset and effectively managing stress and setbacks. To be resilient, one must accept change, manage emotions, prioritize personal well-being and find practical solutions to problems. Building a solid support network and taking care of oneself through self-care are also crucial components of resilience. With resilience, individuals can learn from their mistakes, stay focused on their goals, and thrive in times of uncertainty.
These personal resilience traits are vital for BRMs, but more is needed. The mission of BRMs is to ensure value optimization via effective collaboration between business partners via building strong relationships, being adaptable, and solving problems.
BRMs can take several key steps to become resilient.
- Fostering trust and effective communication among all stakeholders via actively listening to their concerns, being transparent, and following through on commitments.
- Embracing change and guiding others through it is each BRM’s responsibility, which requires a flexible mindset and the ability to pivot when necessary.
- Identifying and solving challenges collaboratively is critical. The key is to be inclusive.
- Being empathetic is also an essential skill for a resilient BRM. Understanding stakeholders’ emotions and concerns can help build trust and improve communication.
- Finding creative ways to drive collaboration and solve problems can help BRMs to stand out because innovation is another fundamental component of resilience. BRMs must have a willingness to think outside the box and take risks.
- Finally, BRMs must prioritize their well-being and mental health for sustained effectiveness, focus and energy, even in complex situations.
In Conclusion...
In conclusion, developing personal and business resilience is essential for organizations to thrive in today’s ever-changing environment. By investing in their employees’ resilience, promoting a resilience culture, and providing resources for mental health and stress management, organizations can build a robust and adaptable workforce to overcome any obstacle. As BRMs, we must lead by example and demonstrate the power of resilience in the workplace.
This article was written and sponsored by IT Chapter.
A trusted partner of BRM Institute
