August 19, 2025 • 16 mins
Pressure doesn’t have to break you—it can build you.
In this episode, I share why resilience is non-negotiable for leaders, the dangers of leading without it, and practical mindset shifts that will help you bounce back stronger.
You’ll learn how to turn pressure into power and lead your team with clarity, steadiness, and confidence in uncertain times.
Tired of feeling stuck between upper leadership and your team?
The Leadership Shift Coaching helps mid-level leaders lead with clarity, influence outcomes, and build teams that thrive without burning out. https://go.cignalpartners.com/leadershipshift
Get weekly leadership and team development tips straight to your inbox.
Subscribe at https://go.cignalpartners.com/leadnews
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tonya Harrison (00:00):
Welcome to Leveraging Operations and
Leadership, the podcast thatbridges the gap between
operational excellence andleadership development.
I'm Tonya D.
Harrison, founder of SignalPartners, and I help leaders
build high-performing teamswithout burnout.
In today's episode, we aregoing to dive into the topic
(00:20):
every leader will face sooner orlater.
A topic every leader will facesooner or later Resilience.
Not just bouncing back fromchallenges, but learning how to
lead steadily through them,understanding how to navigate.
Here's the truth, and youprobably have already figured
(00:46):
this out Leadership is not astraight road.
It's full of curveballs,unexpected setbacks, difficult
team dynamics, market changes,political impact like we're
experiencing right now, at thetime of this recording and even
personal challenges that creepinto your professional world,
because we're a whole humanbeing and if you want to lead
(01:10):
long-term without losing youredge, resilience is not an
option.
It's not an option at all.
It is a requirement.
It is a leadership essential.
It is a requirement.
It is a leadership essential.
Let's talk about what resiliencereally is.
(01:31):
Resilience is the capacity tobe able to recover quickly from
difficulties, being able toadapt to change and maintain
steady, intentional leadershipunder pressure.
It's easy to lead wheneverything's going well, but
(01:57):
when things are really shakingup, that's when we need to think
about are we a resilient leader?
In how we're handling things,it's not just about the ability
to bounce back.
It's the ability to be able tomove forward stronger because of
what you've experienced.
Resilience allows you to beable to keep decision making
clear when emotions are high.
(02:19):
You're not responding from aplace of emotions.
It's also going to allow you toinspire confidence in your team
during uncertainty, becausethey're going to be looking
towards you.
And then it's going to allowyou to maintain perspective when
the short term feelsoverwhelming, because when we're
(02:41):
in it, that's when it's thetoughest.
It's real right.
So sometimes it can be hard tolook forward in terms of when we
get past this.
What does it look like Withoutresilience?
Leadership can quickly feellike a constant state of
reaction instead of intentionaldirection.
(03:04):
So here's some signs that yourresilience may be low, and you
may also recognize these inother leaders as well Making
fear-driven decisions.
So something is impacting youin the short term, but you are
making a long-term decisionbecause of fear.
(03:25):
Another sign is when stressspills over into communication.
This may look like you beingshort with your team or snapping
at the wrong person.
Or my go-to my go-to was tocompletely withdraw from people.
Another flag is you burn outfaster.
(03:47):
This is going to impact notonly you personally, but it also
impacts your team morale andproductivity.
You really want to look out forthese signs.
I have seen many talented,capable leaders step away from
(04:08):
roles that they absolutely lovedand enjoyed, not because they
lack the skill, but because theylack the resilience to navigate
the pressure.
I want to share with you acouple of things that you can do
to build resilience as a leader.
We're going to talkspecifically about some things
(04:30):
you could do from a leadershipperspective, and you can apply
these in any way that you seefit.
Number one manage your mindsetthrough stress, setbacks and
uncertainty and I know thissounds easier than it really is,
but resilience starts in themind.
(04:50):
Every challenge that you face inleadership will try to plant
seeds of doubt, frustration,fear, all of those things, and
you have to be able to takecontrol of your thoughts,
because, if not, those seeds aregoing to grow and they will
(05:11):
shape your actions.
One of the most powerfulreminders for me comes from 2nd
Corinthians, chapter 10, verse 5, and it talks about bringing
into captivity every thought tothe obedience of Christ.
This is something that helps mewhen those thoughts start to
(05:33):
come, because they will right.
So I have to be reallycognizant not to allow them to,
to plant seeds, not to allowthem to become a part of me,
because if I don't, if I don'tdo my job up front now, my
actions are going to start toreflect that I won't be a bold
(05:55):
leader, I won't be a confidentleader, I won't go after the
things that I know I'm supposedto go after because I've allowed
those seeds to take root.
We have to be extremely carefulas those thoughts start to come
into your mind.
You want to pause and askyourself some pertinent
(06:15):
questions.
Number one is this thoughthelping me lead well?
And if the answer is not, thenyou need to get rid of it.
Does it align with my valuesand my faith?
Again, if it doesn't, okay.
Or is it rooted in fear,frustration or ego?
(06:38):
Yeah, that word ego.
We're going to talk about thatin another episode.
Ask yourself some questions.
I hear a lot of people talkabout imposter syndrome and a
lot of this comes from themindset.
Some of these thoughts that weare allowing in to take up root
right To take up residence Likeno, you can't live here in my
(07:02):
mind.
It's time to serve an evictionnotice to the thoughts that do
not serve you.
All right, okay, that is numberone.
Manage your mindset throughstress, setbacks and uncertainty
.
Number two reframe setbacks aslearning information.
I've talked about thisreframing before.
(07:24):
I love it because it allows usto have a different perspective.
A resilient leader viewssetbacks not as proof of failure
but as information.
This is where mindset againplays a role.
You can decide to see obstaclesas barriers or as opportunities
(07:48):
to learn and grow.
What do I need to get from this?
And here's another perspectiveshift worth holding on to or
thinking about.
Consider the fact that somethings may be happening for you
and not to you.
I can't tell you how many timesI have literally thought like,
(08:09):
oh my gosh, I can't believe thisis happening to me.
And when I look back, Irealized it was happening for me
.
It was a redirection.
It was a redirection.
Really.
Think about that.
When you can step back and lookfor the lesson or the
redirection or the refinementInside a challenge, it changes
(08:34):
how you experience it.
When your thinking is fixed ongrowth, even the hardest moments
become stepping stones.
Be open to seeing thingsdifferently.
Number three build recovery intoyour routine.
Oh, can't tell you howimportant this is.
(08:56):
You can't maintain a resilientmindset if you're constantly
running on empty.
It's not going to happen.
Rest, reflection, prayer andactivities that fill your spirit
.
They aren't luxuries, they aremust-haves.
They are must-haves, they'releadership necessities.
(09:18):
I want you to go back and checkout episode 30, where I talk
specifically about this.
Pause, reflect and lead.
This is the leadership secretweapon you're probably ignoring.
Check out that episode becauseI give you some tips on things
that you can do.
(09:39):
And, as someone who hasexperienced burnout and had to
walk through the recoveryprocess more than once, I can
tell you beyond a shadow of adoubt that this is extremely
important and it is required forall people.
I'm talking to leaders, butrequired for all people.
I'm talking to leaders, butrequired for all people.
And a quick side note I'm nottalking about vacations that you
(10:05):
take once, twice, evenquarterly.
I'm not talking about that, youknow a year.
I'm talking about activitiesthat are a part of your regular
routine.
We're not waiting weeks andmonths to do this.
This is a part of your norm,this is a part of what you do,
(10:27):
just like you.
You wake up and, whatever yourmorning routine is get your
coffee, whatever that is.
This is a part of your routine.
It has to be embedded as a partof your routine.
Trust me when I tell you this.
Okay, all right.
So number four that was numberthree.
Build recovery into yourroutine.
Number four strengthening yoursupport system.
(10:50):
Got a lot of experience in thisone as well.
So a strong mindset isn't builtin isolation.
It doesn't work well.
You want to surround yourselfwith mentors, peers, coaches,
who would challenge yourthinking when it drifts as it
(11:12):
will.
You want somebody there that iswilling and able to call that
out.
This isn't the time for the yespeople, right?
This is the time where you wantsomebody who's able to check
you when your mind starts todrift, when your thinking starts
to drift into fear orself-doubt, somebody who will
(11:35):
remind you of the truth whenpressure clouds your perspective
.
These are your truth tellers.
I talk about them as well, andit doesn't always feel good, but
we need them around.
I got a couple in my life.
Thank God for them.
Now, as an introvert and an onlychild, being alone or being on
(11:59):
my own has always felt naturalto me.
So here's what I had to learn.
I had to learn not to confuseisolation with solitude.
Solitude is intentional.
This is when I am intentionalabout giving myself space to
think, to reflect, to recharge.
(12:20):
It's healthy and it isnecessary.
Isolation, on the other hand,this is when you cut yourself
off from the voices, fromperspectives and from support
that could help you stay steadyunder pressure.
Remember that resilience growsfaster when you're not carrying
(12:44):
the weight alone.
It wasn't meant for you tocarry it alone.
Here's the fifth thing that youcan do Develop adaptive thinking
.
Resilience isn't about havingall of the answers, but it is
(13:05):
about the willingness to adaptwhen the answers you had no
longer work.
When your mindset is flexible,change becomes something that
you can work with, not somethingthat you fear.
That adaptability is what keepsyou steady when everything
around you is shifting and isneeded in leadership, because
things are going to shift,things are going to change.
(13:28):
You have to figure out how tobe flexible through this.
How do I adapt through this?
There's going to be changeschanges on your team, changes
who you report to, changes inyour position.
Right, there's going to be somechanges as you go through this
leadership journey.
You have to have some adaptivethinking.
(13:51):
So those are five things thatyou could do right now to start
to build resilience as a leader.
And just remember, resiliencedoesn't mean you never feel
pressure or frustrated that'snot what this is but it does
mean that you build the internalstrength and fortitude and the
(14:12):
external tools to lead wellthrough it, to navigate through
it and come out even stronger.
So here's your leadershipintention for the week.
I want you to identify onechallenge you're facing right
now and ask yourself if this ishappening for me and not to me,
(14:39):
how would I respond differently?
That single question can shiftyour mindset.
It could also guide youractions and help you lead with
steadiness, even in uncertainty,because we are in some
uncertain times.
If this episode resonated withyou and you want to build the
(15:00):
leadership skills, check out theLeadership Shift Coaching.
The leadership that's amouthful.
Check out the Leadership ShiftCoaching.
This is a one-on-one programthat I have created just for you
.
It is to meet you where you areand help you work through some
of the challenges that you mayface, or even position yourself
for your next level.
(15:20):
We talk about thingssurrounding your team.
If you want to build a highperforming team, one that
performs better, if you want tolearn how to build some
resilience and advance some ofthese things into your
leadership, or if you want toposition yourself for your next
level.
We talk about the things thatyou want to talk about.
This is your safe space to meetwith me somebody who has been
(15:46):
there, done that for most of thethings but also to help to
guide you to where it is thatyou want to go.
The link for thecignalpartners.
com/theshift Shift CoachingProgram is Signalpartnerscom
slash the shift.
Go ahead and check it out.
You can schedule a free callwhere we will talk and you can
(16:07):
tell me what it is that you wantto achieve and then we can see
if we are a fit and go fromthere.
Until next time, lead well andlead with resilience.
Welcome to Leveraging Operations and
Leadership, the podcast thatbridges the gap between
operational excellence andleadership development.
I'm Tonya D.
Harrison, founder of SignalPartners, and I help leaders
build high-performing teamswithout burnout.
In today's episode, we aregoing to dive into the topic
(00:20):
every leader will face sooner orlater.
A topic every leader will facesooner or later Resilience.
Not just bouncing back fromchallenges, but learning how to
lead steadily through them,understanding how to navigate.
Here's the truth, and youprobably have already figured
(00:46):
this out Leadership is not astraight road.
It's full of curveballs,unexpected setbacks, difficult
team dynamics, market changes,political impact like we're
experiencing right now, at thetime of this recording and even
personal challenges that creepinto your professional world,
because we're a whole humanbeing and if you want to lead
(01:10):
long-term without losing youredge, resilience is not an
option.
It's not an option at all.
It is a requirement.
It is a leadership essential.
It is a requirement.
It is a leadership essential.
Let's talk about what resiliencereally is.
(01:31):
Resilience is the capacity tobe able to recover quickly from
difficulties, being able toadapt to change and maintain
steady, intentional leadershipunder pressure.
It's easy to lead wheneverything's going well, but
(01:57):
when things are really shakingup, that's when we need to think
about are we a resilient leader?
In how we're handling things,it's not just about the ability
to bounce back.
It's the ability to be able tomove forward stronger because of
what you've experienced.
Resilience allows you to beable to keep decision making
clear when emotions are high.
(02:19):
You're not responding from aplace of emotions.
It's also going to allow you toinspire confidence in your team
during uncertainty, becausethey're going to be looking
towards you.
And then it's going to allowyou to maintain perspective when
the short term feelsoverwhelming, because when we're
(02:41):
in it, that's when it's thetoughest.
It's real right.
So sometimes it can be hard tolook forward in terms of when we
get past this.
What does it look like Withoutresilience?
Leadership can quickly feellike a constant state of
reaction instead of intentionaldirection.
(03:04):
So here's some signs that yourresilience may be low, and you
may also recognize these inother leaders as well Making
fear-driven decisions.
So something is impacting youin the short term, but you are
making a long-term decisionbecause of fear.
(03:25):
Another sign is when stressspills over into communication.
This may look like you beingshort with your team or snapping
at the wrong person.
Or my go-to my go-to was tocompletely withdraw from people.
Another flag is you burn outfaster.
(03:47):
This is going to impact notonly you personally, but it also
impacts your team morale andproductivity.
You really want to look out forthese signs.
I have seen many talented,capable leaders step away from
(04:08):
roles that they absolutely lovedand enjoyed, not because they
lack the skill, but because theylack the resilience to navigate
the pressure.
I want to share with you acouple of things that you can do
to build resilience as a leader.
We're going to talkspecifically about some things
(04:30):
you could do from a leadershipperspective, and you can apply
these in any way that you seefit.
Number one manage your mindsetthrough stress, setbacks and
uncertainty and I know thissounds easier than it really is,
but resilience starts in themind.
(04:50):
Every challenge that you face inleadership will try to plant
seeds of doubt, frustration,fear, all of those things, and
you have to be able to takecontrol of your thoughts,
because, if not, those seeds aregoing to grow and they will
(05:11):
shape your actions.
One of the most powerfulreminders for me comes from 2nd
Corinthians, chapter 10, verse 5, and it talks about bringing
into captivity every thought tothe obedience of Christ.
This is something that helps mewhen those thoughts start to
(05:33):
come, because they will right.
So I have to be reallycognizant not to allow them to,
to plant seeds, not to allowthem to become a part of me,
because if I don't, if I don'tdo my job up front now, my
actions are going to start toreflect that I won't be a bold
(05:55):
leader, I won't be a confidentleader, I won't go after the
things that I know I'm supposedto go after because I've allowed
those seeds to take root.
We have to be extremely carefulas those thoughts start to come
into your mind.
You want to pause and askyourself some pertinent
(06:15):
questions.
Number one is this thoughthelping me lead well?
And if the answer is not, thenyou need to get rid of it.
Does it align with my valuesand my faith?
Again, if it doesn't, okay.
Or is it rooted in fear,frustration or ego?
(06:38):
Yeah, that word ego.
We're going to talk about thatin another episode.
Ask yourself some questions.
I hear a lot of people talkabout imposter syndrome and a
lot of this comes from themindset.
Some of these thoughts that weare allowing in to take up root
right To take up residence Likeno, you can't live here in my
(07:02):
mind.
It's time to serve an evictionnotice to the thoughts that do
not serve you.
All right, okay, that is numberone.
Manage your mindset throughstress, setbacks and uncertainty
.
Number two reframe setbacks aslearning information.
I've talked about thisreframing before.
(07:24):
I love it because it allows usto have a different perspective.
A resilient leader viewssetbacks not as proof of failure
but as information.
This is where mindset againplays a role.
You can decide to see obstaclesas barriers or as opportunities
(07:48):
to learn and grow.
What do I need to get from this?
And here's another perspectiveshift worth holding on to or
thinking about.
Consider the fact that somethings may be happening for you
and not to you.
I can't tell you how many timesI have literally thought like,
(08:09):
oh my gosh, I can't believe thisis happening to me.
And when I look back, Irealized it was happening for me
.
It was a redirection.
It was a redirection.
Really.
Think about that.
When you can step back and lookfor the lesson or the
redirection or the refinementInside a challenge, it changes
(08:34):
how you experience it.
When your thinking is fixed ongrowth, even the hardest moments
become stepping stones.
Be open to seeing thingsdifferently.
Number three build recovery intoyour routine.
Oh, can't tell you howimportant this is.
(08:56):
You can't maintain a resilientmindset if you're constantly
running on empty.
It's not going to happen.
Rest, reflection, prayer andactivities that fill your spirit
.
They aren't luxuries, they aremust-haves.
They are must-haves, they'releadership necessities.
(09:18):
I want you to go back and checkout episode 30, where I talk
specifically about this.
Pause, reflect and lead.
This is the leadership secretweapon you're probably ignoring.
Check out that episode becauseI give you some tips on things
that you can do.
(09:39):
And, as someone who hasexperienced burnout and had to
walk through the recoveryprocess more than once, I can
tell you beyond a shadow of adoubt that this is extremely
important and it is required forall people.
I'm talking to leaders, butrequired for all people.
I'm talking to leaders, butrequired for all people.
And a quick side note I'm nottalking about vacations that you
(10:05):
take once, twice, evenquarterly.
I'm not talking about that, youknow a year.
I'm talking about activitiesthat are a part of your regular
routine.
We're not waiting weeks andmonths to do this.
This is a part of your norm,this is a part of what you do,
(10:27):
just like you.
You wake up and, whatever yourmorning routine is get your
coffee, whatever that is.
This is a part of your routine.
It has to be embedded as a partof your routine.
Trust me when I tell you this.
Okay, all right.
So number four that was numberthree.
Build recovery into yourroutine.
Number four strengthening yoursupport system.
(10:50):
Got a lot of experience in thisone as well.
So a strong mindset isn't builtin isolation.
It doesn't work well.
You want to surround yourselfwith mentors, peers, coaches,
who would challenge yourthinking when it drifts as it
(11:12):
will.
You want somebody there that iswilling and able to call that
out.
This isn't the time for the yespeople, right?
This is the time where you wantsomebody who's able to check
you when your mind starts todrift, when your thinking starts
to drift into fear orself-doubt, somebody who will
(11:35):
remind you of the truth whenpressure clouds your perspective
.
These are your truth tellers.
I talk about them as well, andit doesn't always feel good, but
we need them around.
I got a couple in my life.
Thank God for them.
Now, as an introvert and an onlychild, being alone or being on
(11:59):
my own has always felt naturalto me.
So here's what I had to learn.
I had to learn not to confuseisolation with solitude.
Solitude is intentional.
This is when I am intentionalabout giving myself space to
think, to reflect, to recharge.
(12:20):
It's healthy and it isnecessary.
Isolation, on the other hand,this is when you cut yourself
off from the voices, fromperspectives and from support
that could help you stay steadyunder pressure.
Remember that resilience growsfaster when you're not carrying
(12:44):
the weight alone.
It wasn't meant for you tocarry it alone.
Here's the fifth thing that youcan do Develop adaptive thinking
.
Resilience isn't about havingall of the answers, but it is
(13:05):
about the willingness to adaptwhen the answers you had no
longer work.
When your mindset is flexible,change becomes something that
you can work with, not somethingthat you fear.
That adaptability is what keepsyou steady when everything
around you is shifting and isneeded in leadership, because
things are going to shift,things are going to change.
(13:28):
You have to figure out how tobe flexible through this.
How do I adapt through this?
There's going to be changeschanges on your team, changes
who you report to, changes inyour position.
Right, there's going to be somechanges as you go through this
leadership journey.
You have to have some adaptivethinking.
(13:51):
So those are five things thatyou could do right now to start
to build resilience as a leader.
And just remember, resiliencedoesn't mean you never feel
pressure or frustrated that'snot what this is but it does
mean that you build the internalstrength and fortitude and the
(14:12):
external tools to lead wellthrough it, to navigate through
it and come out even stronger.
So here's your leadershipintention for the week.
I want you to identify onechallenge you're facing right
now and ask yourself if this ishappening for me and not to me,
(14:39):
how would I respond differently?
That single question can shiftyour mindset.
It could also guide youractions and help you lead with
steadiness, even in uncertainty,because we are in some
uncertain times.
If this episode resonated withyou and you want to build the
(15:00):
leadership skills, check out theLeadership Shift Coaching.
The leadership that's amouthful.
Check out the Leadership ShiftCoaching.
This is a one-on-one programthat I have created just for you
.
It is to meet you where you areand help you work through some
of the challenges that you mayface, or even position yourself
for your next level.
(15:20):
We talk about thingssurrounding your team.
If you want to build a highperforming team, one that
performs better, if you want tolearn how to build some
resilience and advance some ofthese things into your
leadership, or if you want toposition yourself for your next
level.
We talk about the things thatyou want to talk about.
This is your safe space to meetwith me somebody who has been
(15:46):
there, done that for most of thethings but also to help to
guide you to where it is thatyou want to go.
The link for thecignalpartners.
com/theshift Shift CoachingProgram is Signalpartnerscom
slash the shift.
Go ahead and check it out.
You can schedule a free callwhere we will talk and you can
(16:07):
tell me what it is that you wantto achieve and then we can see
if we are a fit and go fromthere.
Until next time, lead well andlead with resilience.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.