You Might Know Your IQ or EQ, but Do You Know Your RQ and How to Develop it? (By Elaine Rémy)
“When life squeezes you and the pressure is on, what you’re like on the inside will come out.”
– Obi Abuchi
Have you ever wondered why…when life squeezes some leaders it breaks them…and when it squeezes others…they bounce back and become even stronger?
Well, it has very little to do with their IQ and everything to do with their RQ. And, by that, I mean their resilience.
So, what is resilience and why is it more important than ever that today’s leaders ARE resilient?
Well, resilience is the process of managing and adapting positively to significant sources of stress. It’s bouncing back from adversity and growing as a person, EVEN after difficult or traumatic experiences. It’s an essential skill to have today because it’s been scientifically proven that resilience…is the antidote…to stress.
On statista.com, you can read about a survey carried out in the UK in 2020 regarding the most common type of stress experienced by Brits. It turns out that work stress is top of the list, with 79 percent of respondents saying they frequently feel this type of stress. Incidentally, 60 percent of respondents said they frequently feel monetary stress, and 48 percent experienced family stress. So, as you can see, stress is mainly work-related and it’s well-known that this is a global phenomenon.
Like leadership, resilience is made up of many different aspects, many different elements and here, I’d like to introduce you to the Resilience Quotient Inventory or RQi, which is a comprehensive tool made up of 6 key elements (and 26 sub-elements):
- Purpose and Fulfilment
- Positive Mindset
- Supportive Relationships
- Managing Problems
- Managing Emotions
- Managing Physiology
I recently had a resilience assessment with Elaine, which I found to be very enlightening. The assessment gave me an invaluable opportunity to explore and recognise how I deal with and overcome stressful situations both within work and life. As well as offering me a very in-depth assessment of my own resilience and the tools I currently use to overcome stress, it also opened my eyes to ways I can deal with situations more effectively…having this insight will be extremely beneficial to my own learning and development.
Now, when I look back on my life and think about some of the really stressful situations that squeezed me – be that the chronic health condition I suffered from, starting and running businesses, financial difficulties and divorce, I can see that having many of those 26 sub-elements in place has helped me to build my resilience muscles and become not just a survivor but a thriver who is now in a position to support others, like yourself, on their journey of becoming a resilient leader. So, whether you’re an emerging or seasoned leader, a senior leader in an international organisation or a CEO of a company, the Resilience Quotient Inventory is for YOU. Want to take this further? Get in touch and find out more about how the RQi can help you become a part of a growing movement of resilient leaders who are committed to improving organisations, transforming lives, and making our world a better place.