Meet Ajeet Bajaj. His official designations identify him as MD of Snow Leopard Adventures and Director of Adventure Nation. But, if you ask him to describe himself, he prefers to call himself an avid adventurer and explorer, which he is. A Padma Shri awardee, Ajeet Bajaj is the first Indian to have skied to the both ends of our planet. With his Trans Greenland Ski Expedition in 2010, he completed the much coveted Polar Trilogy - skiing to the North Pole, South Pole and across the Greenland Icecap. This feat would have required him to push his limits and capabilities. He would have invested a tremendous amount of mental and physical resilience, focus and preparedness.
Wouldn’t you agree that overcoming challenges is the best form of learning, leading to inevitable victory? This attitude is called resilience, which HR look into today’s employees. In fact, a survey revealed that 90% of HR decision makers and line managers believe resilience – the ability to cope with change and uncertainty, is a key attribute of future employees.
In the ever-changing, dynamic business world, organizations and its employees are constantly required to be alert, agile and adaptable. They should be able to predict opportunities and risks at the right time; nimbly respond to the snags; and emerge as a winner, no matter what the circumstances are. In the case of setbacks as well, they should be able to bounce back with renewed vigour with new learning, to share with their peers. It is only when the employees are resilient that they can push the boundaries, manage transitions, workplace conflicts, and deliver sustainable business performance.
Resilience is a person’s emotional response to a situation, more than the physical and mental strength. Hence, when a crisis or setback arises, the person is prepared to take it in his stride. However, very few people have an inherent attribute of resilience. The good news is that it can be acquired attribute as well. By promoting a culture of confidence and learning from failures, HR can enable the employees to become resilient individuals.
In the lieu of technology innovations spreading its roots actively in HR domain, it has become imperative for HR professionals to leverage the same to attract and retain the talent, as well as build skills that make talent future ready. Can resilience be one of these skills to prepare employees for the future? Priyanshu Singh, Country Manager & Managing Director of Adecco Group India, and Dilip Chenoy, Former MD & CEO of National Skills Development Corporation may believe so.
To delve deeper into HR’s role in resilience building in the organization, Join interesting sessions at SHRM Annual Conference 2017 and listen to the industry stalwarts Ajeet Bajaj, Priyanshu Singh and Dilip Chenoy speak about it.
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