Perspectives

Sockwell Partners – Our Most Compelling Interview Questions, Part 2

July 2024
Our last Sockwell Partners newsletter pondered the first of two questions we almost always ask serious candidates are there experiences from your formative years that you know affect you at work today? The second question is equally revealing what is the biggest adversity you have faced?  

It is also a fundamental question for bosses, college admissions officers, counselors, HR professionals and mentors. What are we all looking for?

RESILIENCE. It is at the core of how major negative obstacles or challenges impact you and what you learn from them. The experience itself is not as important as how it pushes you to problem-solve, learn, and grow.

We define resilience in many ways. It is the ability to react positively to a negative situation and focus on positive solutions rather than the problem. It is also the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially by being positive and flexible. More simply, it is how you come to grips with life's setbacks. Or even more simply, it is the ability to bounce back. And it only comes from seizing the chance to work through difficult experiences.

Resilience is emotional, psychological, physical, and social. It ranges from the mental prowess to adapt to uncertainty to managing feelings and negative emotions like anger, fear, or sadness. It is also maintaining strength and stamina and forming reliable relationships for times of need. Each helps to keep us afloat during tough times.

When asked this question, candidates often respond seeking clarification as to whether we want a personal or a workplace answer to our question.  Our response is "Your choice." The traits of resilience are fluid and transferable. Occasionally, a candidate tells us they have never experienced adversity. Beware of this response.

You do not have to go looking for adversity; it finds you. It finds everyone. No one is safe. Some never find their way back. Those who do, come back stronger.

When something goes very wrong, do you bounce back or fall apart? Introspective questions can help you grow your own resilience: Why am I struggling? What resources do I have and who can help? Am I focused on the problem or the solution? What have I learned from past adversities? What small steps can I take to make progress? What self-limiting beliefs do I need to confront?

In his bestseller, David vs Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell postulates adversity in life can help individuals achieve success. And Ernest Hemingway wrote: "The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are stronger at the broken places."  Albert Einstein suggested "adversity introduces a man to himself."

An organization's culture and practices can also actively support enhanced employee resilience. If you are interested in learning more, look at these short articles from the Harvard Business Review and McKinsey & Company:

https://hbr.org/2022/06/what-leaders-get-wrong-about-resilience
https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/raising-the-resilience-of-your-organization

We would like to hear about how you view resiliency and how important you view this trait. Please reach out by email, text, or phone. We can all become more resilient.