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‘Resilience’ is often described as synonymous with success – a trait much sought-after by employers and the stuff skyrocketing careers are made of. We can handle anything in the workplace if we’re ‘resilient’ enough – or so the theory goes.
Yet for all its accolades, many books on the subject forget to address a crucial question: how can we build resilience in our workplace?
Resilience at Work shows us how to achieve our own brand of resilience. It does this by beginning each chapter with relevant academic theories, and demonstrating how to use these theories through small tasks and self-reflections. These tasks and reflections help us to question our working selves both in the context of our careers and our lives as a whole.
Interspersed with stories of others in similar circumstances, Jackson helps us to realise the effects of our workplace behaviours, and the effects that our workplaces, in turn, have on us.
Translating theory into action is not an easy task, but one that is made easier with this book. Jackson’s tasks and self-reflections throughout the book require us to act often, so when we are asked to develop personal action plans at the end of the foundational chapters - we are already equipped to do so. Her trick of asking us to write down our strategies for success and share them with others also makes us accountable – to those who know us closely enough to get wind of these strategies, and more significantly, to ourselves.
Shortlisted for Best International Business Book at London’s Business Book Awards, I would recommend Resilience at Work to anyone who feels they’re not loving all aspects of their job or workplace, but can’t put their finger on why. The reasons we may feel we’re unhappy or undervalued at work aren’t always objective, and that’s where a book like Jackson’s - made for employees and HR professionals alike – comes in handy.
If you do genuinely enjoy your role, the four Resilience Foundations in this book can be used in all areas of life and are a wellbeing tool worth knowing.
Reviewed by Danielle Whitburn, Senior Communications and Marketing Officer, Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand