Last night I attended a meeting for the Orange County chapter of ASTD (American Society of Training and Development) where Maureen Orey presented Even a Duck Can Drown: The Four Keys to Building Resilience. Maureen uses the metaphor of how ducks have to build resilience to water before they can learn how to swim.

Applying this concept to our business, we learn that resilience is important in order to thrive in a chaotic environment - as is the case with the current economic climate.

Maureen pointed out the four keys to building resilience:

1. The First Key - Use Your Resources!

• Get Connected
• Be Socially Competent
  

2. The Second Key - Adapt to Change!

• Be Flexible
• Be Able to Solve Problems

3. The Third Key - Think Ahead

• Be Proactive
• Get Organized

4. The Fourth Key - Know Where You Are Going

• Feel Self Assured
• Create a Personal Vision
  

Without resilience, a business cannot move forward. It just gets stuck in a rut...and when a business is in a rut, this affects how people interact with others - mainly customers.

For the next four weeks I encourage you focus on each of these four keys. I like the idea of getting connected first. If you're already an established business, you probably already have a database of current customers that you can re-connect with. Send out an email or write Thank You cards to remind customers about your business. You can also get connected by volunteering or attending networking events.

After the event I asked my Twitter followers what resilience means to them. Robyn McMaster shared her thoughts:


How about you? What does resilience mean to you? What are your thoughts on how resilience plays a role in creating a great customer service culture?