ESA Skill 10: Resilience & Stress Management
- The Open Mind Institute
- Nov 20
- 2 min read
Bouncing Back Without Burning Out
Stress has become the silent performance killer.
Deadlines, constant change, and the pressure to stay “always on” can quietly erode well-being. And eventually, performance.
The best teams manage it, learn from it, and recover well. That’s the essence of Resilience & Stress Management, i.e., the ability to navigate pressure, adapt to setbacks, and sustain energy over the long haul.
Why This Skill Matters More Than Ever
For individuals, resilience is the difference between reacting and responding. For leaders, it’s what turns challenge into opportunity, and models calm under chaos.
A study cited by the National Institutes of Health shows that employees with higher resilience are 60% more likely to be engaged and 90% more likely to report strong well-being. In resilient organisations, stress isn’t eliminated; it’s channelled.
These environments:
Normalise vulnerability and open dialogue.
Prioritise psychological safety and recovery.
Treat resilience as a collective skill, not a personal trait.
What Resilience & Stress Management Really Mean
Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; to bend, not break.
Stress Management is about regulating emotions, workloads, and environments so stress becomes a motivator, not a detractor.
Together, they create teams that don’t just survive turbulence; they grow stronger through it.
Five Practices That Build Resilient Teams
Reframe Challenges as Growth Opportunities
Ask: What can this teach us? Resilient teams don’t see setbacks as threats but as feedback loops for learning.
Encourage Recovery, Not Constant Hustle
Rest fuels resilience. Leaders who normalise breaks, downtime, and boundary-setting build cultures that last.
Strengthen Psychological Safety
When people feel safe to speak up, admit mistakes, or share struggles, stress loses its grip. Safety breeds honesty, and honesty builds strength.
Build Emotional Agility
Help individuals move from reaction to reflection. Mindfulness, journaling, and self-awareness practices strengthen emotional control under pressure.
Model Calm and Compassion as Leaders
Resilient leadership isn’t about appearing unshakeable but showing steadiness with empathy. These days, people don’t follow perfection, but authenticity.
How Organisations Can Support This Skill
Culture leaders and HR teams play a vital role in embedding resilience across systems:
Integrate well-being check-ins into 1:1s and performance reviews.
Train leaders in emotional regulation and stress awareness.
Create flexible workloads and recovery-friendly policies.
Recognise resilience, not just results.
When resilience is rewarded and not punished, employees thrive --> organisations do too.
The Takeaway
Building resilience isn’t about pushing harder but recovering smarter.
When individuals and teams learn to manage stress intentionally, they move from burnout to breakthrough.
💡 Next Week: We’ll wrap up our ESA Skills Series with the final two capabilities: Innovation & Creative Thinking and Influence & Stakeholder Management. Together, they shape how teams generate ideas, drive collaboration, and turn vision into impact, which is the perfect way to close the loop on the 12 Essential Skills for thriving teams.
If you’re ready to explore what’s possible with ATAR, we’d love to start that conversation.
Xin Yi Ng (Michelle)
Research & Development Lead
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