The Resilient Leader: Resilience Coaching for Effective Leadership

In today’s fast-paced business world, resilience is a vital leadership skill — helping leaders manage stress, inspire confidence, and keep their teams motivated and engaged. Resilience is the capacity to navigate adversity, recover from setbacks, and maintain strategic direction despite challenges.¹ Without resilience, leaders may lose focus on long-term objectives, struggle to manage stress, and fail to inspire confidence among their teams.

Fortunately, resilience isn’t an innate trait — it can be developed.² Leaders who actively work on strengthening their resilience are better positioned to guide their organizations through uncertainty, inspire their teams, and achieve sustainable success.³ One of the most effective ways to build resilience is through coaching — a structured, one-on-one or group development process that helps leaders enhance self-awareness, refine their problem-solving skills, and build the mental agility needed to navigate challenges with confidence. By providing personalized guidance and actionable strategies, coaching ensures leaders remain consistent in their development and forward-thinking in the face of new challenges.

The Power of Resilience: Why It Matters

Resilience is more than mere mental fortitude — it is a dynamic capacity that allows leaders to:

• Navigate uncertainty: Resilient leaders adapt to economic downturns, industry disruptions, and unforeseen crises, making well-informed decisions under pressure.⁴
• Maintain long-term vision: Challenges are inevitable; resilience ensures obstacles don’t derail an organization’s broader mission.
• Inspire teams: Employees look to their leaders for guidance during periods of difficulty. A resilient leader fosters a culture of optimism, trust, and perseverance within the organization.⁵
• Manage stress and prevent burnout: Leaders with resilience are better equipped to handle stress, thereby reducing the risk of burnout and sustaining peak performance.⁶
• Foster innovation: Failure is an inherent aspect of innovation. Resilient leaders embrace setbacks as learning opportunities, which helps them promote a growth mindset and foster innovation within their organizations.

The Role of Resilience Coaching in Leadership Development

While some leaders may exhibit resilience naturally, many benefit from deliberate development efforts. Coaching and training provide the essential tools, perspectives, and strategies needed to strengthen resilience. Through coaching, leaders can:

• Enhance emotional intelligence: Coaches assist leaders in developing self-awareness, emotional regulation, and empathy, all of which are critical components of resilience. SIGMA uses emotional intelligence assessments, such as the Multidimensional Emotional Intelligence Assessment – Workplace – Revised (MEIA-W-R) , to understand strengths and areas for growth, and guide coaching conversations.
• Strengthen problem-solving abilities:  Through coaching, leaders learn to reframe challenges, shift perspectives, and develop innovative solutions to obstacles. SIGMA uses structured templates to guide effective problem-solving, goal setting, and decision-making.
• Improve adaptability: Coaching encourages leaders to embrace change and cultivate flexibility. SIGMA provides practical guidance on how to develop flexibility at work. To learn more about flexibility as a leadership competency, download SIGMA’s guide, Great Leaders Are Flexible.
• Build confidence: Regular coaching sessions offer a structured environment for leaders to reflect, gain clarity, and develop the confidence required to manage adversity effectively. Studies show that 80% of individuals who receive coaching report increased self-confidence,⁷ while more than 70% experience improved work performance and relationships.⁸
• Promote well-being and self-care: Resilient leaders recognize the significance of mental and physical well-being. Coaches support them in establishing habits that sustain their energy and focus.

The Power of Resilience Coaching: Is It Really Worth It?

Studies have shown that coaching makes it significantly more likely that candidates will achieve their development goals.⁹ Not only that, it increases the likelihood that behavior changes will last long-term.^10,11  Coaching has also been shown to help leaders:¹²

• Take action toward achieving goals.
• Become more self-reliant.
• Gain more job and life satisfaction.
• Assume greater responsibility and accountability.
• Work more effectively with others.
• Improve communication skills.

So, is coaching worth the investment? According to the International Coaching Federation, 86% of surveyed organizations reported not only recouping their investment in coaching but gaining even more in return.¹³

Invest in the Future: Build Resilience Among Your Leaders

By prioritizing resilience through professional coaching, organizations can strengthen their leadership teams and invest in a sustainable future. SIGMA offers executive and leadership coaching services to help leaders build resilience among your leaders.

Meet Our Expert: Dr. Ruby Nadler

Dr. Ruby Nadler specializes in leadership character, mindfulness, and positive psychology. Through individual coaching and group workshops, Ruby has helped countless leaders improve their emotional intelligence, resilience, and workplace performance.

Want to learn more? Complete the form below to explore how SIGMA can help future-proof your organization by building resilient leaders.

Ruby Nadler, Ph.D.

Leadership Consultant

Dr. Ruby Nadler, a specialist in cognition and perception, is an expert in leadership character, mindfulness, and positive psychology. With a passion for fusing scientific research with practical application, Ruby excels in enhancing leadership performance and emotional intelligence through individual coaching and group workshops. Recognized for her expertise, Ruby was the recipient of the Ontario Centers of Excellence TalentEdge Fellowship in 2015. Her groundbreaking research has been featured on platforms including CBC, BBC Radio, Happify, and NPR.

¹ American Psychological Association. (NA). Resilience. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience.

² Rushton, C. H., Batcheller, J., Schroeder, K., & Donohue, P. (2015). Burnout and resilience among nurses practicing in high-intensity settings. American Journal of Critical Care, 24(5), 412-420.

³ Eliot, J. L. (2020). Resilient leadership: the impact of a servant leader on the resilience of their followers. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 22(4), 404-418.

⁴ Eliot, J. L. (2020). Resilient leadership: the impact of a servant leader on the resilience of their followers. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 22(4), 404-418.

⁵ Nguyen, Q., Kuntz, J. R., Näswall, K., & Malinen, S. (2016). Employee resilience and leadership styles: The moderating role of proactive personality and optimism. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 45(2), 13.

⁶ Castillo‐González, A., Velando‐Soriano, A., De La Fuente‐Solana, E. I., Martos‐Cabrera, B. M., Membrive‐Jiménez, M. J., Lucía, R. B., & Cañadas‐De La Fuente, G. A. (2024). Relation and effect of resilience on burnout in nurses: A literature review and meta‐analysis. International Nursing Review, 71(1), 160-167.

⁷ Institute of Coaching. (NA). Benefits of Coaching. Institute of Coaching. Retrieved from https://canadacoachacademy.com/coachingindustry-hits-1-billion-still-growing/.

⁸ Institute of Coaching. (NA). Benefits of Coaching. Institute of Coaching. Retrieved from https://canadacoachacademy.com/coachingindustry-hits-1-billion-still-growing/.

⁹ Harkin, B., Webb, T. L., Chang, B. P. I., Prestwich, A., Conner, M., Kellar, I., & Sheeran, P. (2016). Does monitoring goal progress promote goal attainment? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 142, 198-229.

¹⁰ Baron, L., & Morin, L. (2010). The impact of executive coaching on self-efficacy related to management soft-skills. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 31, 18-38.

¹¹ Sonesh, S. C., Coultas, C. W., Lacerenza, C. N., Marlow, S. L., Benishek, L. E., & Salas, E. (2015). The power of coaching: A meta-analytic investigation. Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice, 8, 73-95.

¹² Institute of Coaching. (NA). Benefits of Coaching. Institute of Coaching. Retrieved from https://canadacoachacademy.com/coachingindustry-hits-1-billion-still-growing/.

¹³ Institute of Coaching. (NA). Benefits of Coaching. Institute of Coaching. Retrieved from https://canadacoachacademy.com/coachingindustry-hits-1-billion-still-growing/. build resilient leaders and equip your organization for the challenges of tomorrow.