Redefining the Rules of Resilience to Your Career

I told you a few weeks ago that Gen Z should ignore your Gen X and Baby Boomer relatives‘ career advice. This week is a clear example of how my generation, the epitome of resilience, has amassed outdated experiences regarding career and job-search advice. We have enough evidence from our generation regarding what was right and wrong about what we called resilience and how it applies to our careers.

We can look at the exploits of a hero like Muhammad Ali and the brilliance of his patience and intel in knowing George Foreman was a relentless pounder. The reward was one of the greatest sports victories ever. We can look at the tragedy in the head trauma he survived that left him unable to continue showcasing his colorful personality for the last 35 years of his life.

The fact we’re offering the “gut-it-out” and “you have to play the game” when it comes to our health, wellbeing, and survival in the workplace no longer serves us or our younger counterparts. I am only referencing Simone Biles a single time now because of her recent decision to step away from competing in the team and all-around Olympic gymnastics competition. You can find opinions and commentary all over the place. But that is all I will say about it in this article.

Our well-being is woven into our careers, and it is the catalyst of our job search.

You’ll need to discern who will be the right leader for you. Who will respect what you feel you need, your boundaries, and your aspirations? Initially, only you can make that decision.

Tom Brady chose his boss. I know sport is different. But, he took who his boss was going to be to heart. There is never a perfect boss. There’s a case to find the perfect boss for you.

We have the tools now to know who our boss will be long before we apply for a particular job. There’s intel to collect from people they work with. And yes, the process I described is a lot of work.  This is a critical step now to your well-being and success in your career.

I also advocate deep networking. A large network is helpful. A network with many people who introduced you to other people, especially within a single or adjacent industry, can give you opportunities. I see that a lot in my industry with my friends, peers, colleagues, and partners. They will also add to your well-being because of their familiarity and experiences with bosses, colleagues, and intel of the work.

Great work relationships don’t have walls or distance anymore. As I can personally testify to powerful partnerships with those I never met in person. Remote work won’t change the friendship dynamic when choices are limited.

Competition is important for your job search because it’s designed that way. It probably won’t change anytime soon. Each of us has to decide which race we are willing to enter. It’s more important to be well-informed and do the necessary work to obtain what’s important to us. But we’re broken if our mental health is fractured, whether temporarily or permanently. Don’t risk your mental health to chase glory.