Lessons learned from a rogue haybale

No one is an island. There’s strength in numbers. Two heads are better than one. Whatever your preferred cliché, overcoming obstacles happens by having the right people by your side.

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Consider this

What’s the connection between teamwork and resilience? In 2021, researchers in Iran examined that question through the lens of nurses working with COVID-19 patients.

During the study, 224 participants completed surveys assessing their perceived levels of social and organizational support, as well as their resilience. The results indicated a significant positive correlation between social support and resilience, underscoring the critical role of supportive networks in the face of adversity.

Reflection questions

1. Who are the people in your life that you can truly count on? How have they supported you in the past?
   
2. When was the last time you asked for help? What held you back — or what made it easier to ask?
   
3. What qualities do you most appreciate in a teammate, colleague or friend? How do you nurture those qualities in yourself?
   
4. Think of a time when teamwork made a challenge easier. What role did you play in making that collaboration successful?
   
5. In what areas of your life could you benefit from more support — and what’s one step you could take to invite it in?
   
6. What beliefs do you hold about independence and self-reliance? How do those beliefs affect your willingness to lean on others?
   
7. How do you respond when others offer help? Do you accept it, deflect it or try to manage alone? Why do you think that is?
   
8. What makes you feel like a valued member of a group or community? How can you foster that sense of belonging for others?
   
9. How do you contribute to the well-being of your support network? What do you bring to the table in relationships and teams?
   
10. If someone close to you needed help, how would you want them to feel about asking you? What does that tell you about the kind of connections you want to build?

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Turn ideas into action with these suggested activities from our Resilience Toolbox.

More modules

Module 1. Making your own luck: Lessons learned from a coin flip

Module 2. Improving adaptability: Lessons learned from an absurd Christmas tree

Module 3. Embracing teamwork: Lessons learned from a rogue haybale

Module 4. Leveraging tools: Lessons learned from a poorly chosen sledgehammer

Module 5. Learning humility: Lessons learned from a very brief career as a valet

Module 6. Failing forward: Lessons learned from banshee babies and buttered butts

Module 7. Avoiding shortcuts: Lessons learned from a giant backpack

Module 8. Redefining success: Lessons learned from an idiotic bet

Module 9. Letting go: Lessons learned from a gooey pit of clay

Module 10. Taking responsibility: Lessons learned from trying to catch a train

Module 11. Getting creative: Lessons learned from the toboggan hill

Module 12. Fuelling motivation: Lessons learned from sleeping in a barn

Module 13. Handing over control: Lessons learned from riding in a shopping cart

Module 14. Practising gratitude: Lessons learned from a very special list

Module 15. Prioritizing self-care: Lessons learned from a surprise birthday celebration in the hospital

Module 16. Creating lasting change: Lessons learned from life’s awesome and absurd moments