(Photo courtesy of Vistage Int’l 667)
In the current cultural and business environment, the resilience of your business will be tested… time and time again.
But this is nothing new. Over the past few years, Central Oregon business leaders have faced wave after wave of challenges. Economic turbulence, workforce disruptions, pandemics, supply chain problems, cultural shifts and the pace of modern business has tested every team. And yet, some companies got stronger. Not just bigger but sharper, faster, more focused. What made the difference? They built resilient teams.
Resilience isn’t built in a boardroom. It is forged in the fire of uncertainty, pressure, setbacks and constant change. Let’s look at what that means.
What is Resilience?
Resilience is not about being tough. It is not about pretending things are fine when they are not. Resilience is the ability to recover quickly, to stay focused under pressure and to adapt to new realities. It is the skill of staying steady when the ground is shifting.
In business, resilience is what separates teams that succeed from teams that stall when plans go sideways. And if you lead a team, building resilience into your culture is no longer optional.
Three Lessons from the Frontlines
Here are three hard-earned insights from the business leaders I work with in Vistage and 10x peer groups across Central Oregon.
1. Normalize challenge. Do not run from it.
Good leaders do not protect their teams from challenge. They prepare them for it. The greatest successes in life go to those who can show up every day even when the outcomes and rewards are uncertain. The team that can embrace the most uncertainty is the team that wins.
You do not build strong people by making life easy. You build them by letting them wrestle with tough questions, own meaningful problems and learn how to navigate difficulty. That is how people grow. That is how teams grow.
In your next meeting, ask your team, “What is the biggest challenge we are facing right now?” Then ask for ten fresh ideas on how to address the challenge. Get people in the habit of facing the hard stuff with open eyes and open minds.
2. Trade control for ownership.
Resilient teams do not wait to be told what to do. They step up. They take initiative. They care.
Give your people real responsibility. Define expectations then step back and let them lead in their area. Do not micromanage. Trust creates resilience. Micromanagement kills it. I often hear, “I wish my employees took more ownership of the business.” But ownership is not something you can demand. It is something you model and invite.
Ask yourself, “Where am I still holding on to control? What positive things could happen if I let go?”
3. Debrief the hard moments.
Most teams move too fast to reflect. Something breaks, they patch it and move on. But resilient teams stop to ask, “What did we learn? What needs to change?”
Debriefs are where the real growth happens. Not to assign blame but to extract wisdom.
That habit of reflection builds a feedback loop. It creates a culture of failing forward where failure becomes insight and insight becomes momentum.
Final Thought:
Build for Pressure, Not Just for Performance
Every team looks good on a good day. But the best teams are ready for the storm. They can adjust, respond, recover and stay focused when others fall apart.
If you want to lead a business that not only endures but thrives, build your team to handle pressure with poise. Build your people. Strengthen your systems. And create a culture that grows stronger every time it is tested.
We work on these things every month in our Vistage and 10x groups for business owners and executives. If you are tired of leading alone and ready for the kind of clarity and community that makes a real difference, consider sitting at the table with us.
Michael Sipe is a Central Oregon mergers and acquisitions advisor and executive coach.
CrossPointeCapital.com • Vistage.com • 10xGroups.com • Michael-Sipe.com
