A study of resilience : a personal and professional leadership perspective

M.Phil.On a daily basis, everyone is confronted with challenges and setbacks that force them to take a stand. People experience these challenges and setbacks differently. While some flourish in the midst of setbacks, others fall flat and become victims of their circumstances. Resilience determines how well people bounce back from setbacks and difficulties. In the light of this problem, the general objective of this study is to determine what enables people to bounce back from setbacks and difficulties in their personal and professional lives. In order to realise this objective, the following specific questions are set for the study: What is resilience? What are the different contexts in which resilience can be perceived? How do people perceive setbacks and difficulties and what are their perceptions and selfinsight regarding their own reactions to these experiences? Which human qualities and other factors allow people to bounce back in times of setbacks and difficulties? What are the implications for and the potential contribution of Personal and Professional Leadership (PPL) regarding resilience? This study has been conducted through a PPL perspective which is based on the assumption that human beings have an ongoing commitment to growth and development, through selfknowledge and self-awareness, finding a purpose, realising one's full potential, adding value to other people's lives and professional competence in terms of organisational efficiency and effectiveness. Within the context of this study, the aim of PPL is to sensitise and empower individuals to exercise their freedom of choice. In endeavouring to address the research problem, the researcher subsequently decided to make use of a qualitative research design involving a hermeneutic phenomenological research strategy supported by a descriptive research approach. The researcher conducted a word and concept analysis, an extensive literature study as well as individual interviews (focused on adult individuals) in order to meet the research objective. The main findings realising the research objective can be described as follows: From a PPL perspective, the concept resilience implies the ability to bounce back from life's difficulties and continue along the path of growth, self-actualisation and self-transcendence. It has also been established that resilience can be perceived in different contexts, including: challenging experiences, developmental transition, individual adversity, collective adversity, organisational change and socio-political change. It was also found that although the respondents worked through different phases in the change process, their final reaction was to choose to become victors, not victims and to thrive despite their circumstances. Their insight and self-knowledge gained through setbacks and difficulties helped them to become more resilient. Reflecting on the human qualities and other factors of resilience as identified in the literature study and the empirical findings, it seems evident that a central theme of these factors is the notion of choice. PPL contributes to resilience by means of facilitation and counselling solutions in areassuch as adaptability, assertiveness, attitude towards life, internal locus of control, positive social orientation, purpose in life, realisation of potential and the development of a strong inner self. The main conclusions that can be deduced from the above findings can subsequently be summarised as follows: A personal choice to self-actualise regardless of circumstances underlies the interacting web of human qualities and other factors in resilient individuals. The human qualities of the resilient individual thus play a role in contributing to the ability to keep the individual on the path of growth, self-actualisation and self-transcendence, regardless of the circumstances. The PPL Practitioner can assist individuals to develop skills on an ongoing basis in order to cope in times of setbacks and difficulties