Community Champion
Guessing is not a strategy: How to build decision velocity with AI and real-time data
June 10, 2026 | Live Webinar
Categories: resilience
I’ve written a few articles now on resilience because I think it’s really important. Now is the time of year when it feels like we’ve just got to keep on pushing until year end, and those projects get over the line before the year closes out.
At the same time, I know that ‘just pushing through’ isn’t the best approach for wellbeing and mental health, so there’s definitely a balance. Resilience is how you help yourself (and others) get through the tough times.
As a project leader, it’s important that we understand how much resilience plays into the success of a team, and what we can do to influence it. Here are a few things that we can do as leaders – even if you don’t have a traditional leadership-y job or staff working for you.
Lead by example
Leaders set the tone for the team. By demonstrating resilience yourself (which looks like having a positive attitude, perseverance, and being adaptable) you can inspire their teams to do the same. And I’m not talking big inspirational speeches, or people applauding your work in the corridor. It’s small-scale inspiration, tenacity and showing your professional values – those things rub off on the people around you.Provide emotional support and guidance
Your organisation might have mental health first aiders, or wellbeing champions or other people in a role that means they’ve had some support and training about how to support their colleagues. So I’m not suggesting you take on any role that you are not comfortable with or trained to do. This is more about emotional intelligence and being able to notice when things are ‘off’.Leaders should be tuned into to the emotional needs of their teams, offering support during tough times. ‘Support’ might look like knowing when to take a break, inviting everyone to the canteen to eat together, celebrating small wins or taking someone aside to check in and see if they are OK.
Providing regular feedback, coaching and mentoring (when invited to) can also help team members stay focused and motivated.
Empower teams to take ownership
This works both ways – firstly it empowers teams to make decisions and solve problems on their own, which builds confidence and ownership in the project. And secondly, it takes work off of you, and I’m sure you are busy enough not to need extra decisions or troubleshooting to do.Trust them to manage the challenges, and be there in the background if needed.
Encourage open communication
This one is a bit of theme, I know I’ve spoken and written about it before. Transparency is important for helping teams stay connected. They are more likely to raise issues, talk to you about the risks they see or flag other areas of concern.When they feel like it’s a safe space to voice their concerns (and hopefully solutions), that brings a sense of collective responsibility for overcoming challenges because you can work on making things better together.
Building resilient project teams is a given for any modern leader – it’s just something that we have to do, especially as there is so much going on inside and outside of the workplace at the moment, all of which can feel pretty heavy at times.
Project managers might not have direct reports, but you can foster a culture of adaptability, collaboration, and support, guiding colleagues where it helps to do so, and stepping back where it’s more appropriate to let them lead the way. In fact, that sounds like servant leadership, and a resilient leader would certainly take that approach when the time (and the team) are right. A resilient team is ready to get that project over the line, whether you’re counting down to a year end deadline or looking to deliver at another point in the year.
Posted on: December 16, 2025 11:50 AM |
Permalink