I’ve been reading a book by Tom Peters.  In it, he presents the following list of observable attributes of resilient people.  I believe it offers a good framework to be mindful about when looking for, nurturing, and affirming qualities of resilience in our children, others, and ourselves:

  • Inner calm
  • High self-knowledge (comfortable in one’s own skin)
  • Breadth of out-of-the-ordinary experience (drove a cab, worked construction, did Teach for America)
  • Appetite for modestly controlled chaos (quite literally revels in messy situations – comes to life in them)
  • Reaches out effortlessly to a wide variety of people (in general and on the fly)
  • Exudes energy
  • Known for integrity, a “straight shooter”
  • Sense of humor
  • Empathy (obvious human compassion, understands that some people have little resilience and treats such folk with respect, not as “losers”
  • Can make tough decisions instantaneously, without looking back
  • Decisive, but not rigid
  • A strong individual, and an equally strong team player
  • Understands the chain of command and its importance – and evades it as necessary
  • Comfortable being challenged by way-out thinkers, but with a strong “doer” bias overall
  • A person of Hope

(source: The Little Big Things: 163 Ways to Pursue Excellence, by Tom Peters 2010)