RESEARCH INSIGHTS

Building Leadership Resilience:

The CORE Framework

By: K
 atya Fernandez, Ph.D., Cathleen Clerkin, Ph.D., and
Marian N. Ruderman, Ph.D.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35613/ccl.2020.2043
CONTENTS

Executive Summary 1

Introduction 1

Resilience: What Is It and Why Does It Matter? 2

A New Resilience Framework: CORE 3

Eight Everyday Resilience Practices 4

Physical Activity 5

Sleep 6

Mindfulness 7

Cognitive Reappraisal 8

Savoring 9

Gratitude 10

Social Connection 11

Social Contact 12

Organizational Implications 13

Application of the CORE Framework 14

Conclusion 14

References 15
Executive Summary
Effectively building resilience in today’s increasingly • A review of the eight practices designed
uncertain and complex world is crucial, especially for to help build resilience within the CORE
those in leadership positions. The current paper offers framework: sleep, physical activity,
the following insights for leaders interested in building mindfulness, cognitive reappraisal, savoring,
resilience: gratitude, social connection, and social
contact. These practices were selected
• A brief overview of what we know about
because there is empirical evidence of their
resilience and burnout. This overview is
effectiveness specifically in leaders and
informed by decades of research in leadership
because they are simple, both in nature and
development.
in how they can integrated into daily life. Each
• A new, integrated framework for practice review also includes tips for how to
cultivating resilience in leaders: The CORE incorporate these practices into daily life.
(Comprehensive Resilience) Framework.
• A discussion of the practical and future
This framework is focused on four areas
applications of the CORE framework.
(physical, mental, emotional, and social) and
takes a whole-self approach to resilience
by developing a diverse set of responses to
change and disruption.

Introduction
Leaders tend to be smart and ambitious. They often In the current paper, we discuss an alternative approach
acquire their leadership roles through their intelligence, that can help leaders break out of this vicious cycle.
hard work, technical skills, and tenacity, and rise Specifically, we highlight how building up a diverse
through the ranks through their interpersonal skills portfolio of personal internal resources and positive
and problem-solving abilities (e.g., Riggio & Lee, 2007). coping strategies can help leaders weather challenges
Yet, at some point, every leader faces a time when and disruption without falling prey to the trap of working
these traits and skills are not enough. A personal, themselves until they are burned out. This alternative
organizational, or societal challenge appears that is strategy is, in short, resilience.
disruptive, unprecedented, and unpredictable. During
these times, leaders often cope by trying to work harder,
longer, and faster; they push themselves and sacrifice
other important parts of their lives. Although this is an
understandable response, it is also unsustainable and
inevitably provides diminishing returns. Working harder,
longer, and faster will lead to neglecting non-work areas
of wellbeing, such as social and physical health, which in
turn creates additional stress that compounds the initial
work stress. Over time, this vicious cycle will intensify
and eventually lead to burnout and other negative
outcomes.

©2020 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. Building Leadership Resilience: The CORE Framework 1
Resilience: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?
We define resilience as responding adaptively to to consider resilience can seem counterproductive
challenges, where challenges can range from chronic or even impossible. There is an interesting paradox,
everyday experiences (such as feeling overwhelmed) to though: Overworking and other similar responses can
major disruptions or adversities (such as an economic deplete resources needed to effectively manage your
crash, the loss of a loved one, or a career failure). work. Leading well requires both hard work and the
Challenges go beyond simply having more work to do; development of resilience.
they can take the form of continually needing to change
Workplace engagement and burnout do not happen
in response to evolving circumstances, resulting in
in linear stages, but rather in cycles that reinforce
disequilibrium or disrupted plans. Resilience is a process
themselves (Bakker & Demerouti, 2018). Like
that involves repeated and intentional engagement
compounding interest over time, having sufficient job
with wellbeing-enhancing processes. Research suggests
resources (such as time and support) not only boosts
that resilience can directly impact important leadership
your engagement, but also increases your chances of
outcomes. For example, one study of over 500 people
getting more resources. On the other hand, having too
found that leaders who were rated by others as more
many demands and not enough resources are likely to
resilient (versus those rated by others as less resilient)
lead not only to burnout, but to actually having more
were seen as more effective (Folkman, 2017). Resilience
demands and fewer resources over time.
has also been found to be positively associated with
performance (Luthans et al., 2005), job satisfaction, Burnout and feelings of being overwhelmed can be
and organizational commitment (Goh, Pfeffer, & Zenios, distressing and damaging to individual wellbeing, health,
2015). Taken together, these studies suggest resilience and job performance. Without time for revitalization,
(and, more broadly, effectively coping with the unknown) hard work can have diminishing returns. Without a
is a crucial part of effective leadership. savings of wellbeing to draw on, it costs more and more
to keep going in the midst of stress and disruption. On
Despite its clear importance and relevance, we believe
the other hand, small, steady contributions to wellbeing
that resilience is still relatively underemphasized in
can also add up over time, resulting in the ability to
leadership. When it is discussed, it is often done so
be less likely to be knocked off course as negative or
ambiguously and/or in passing, oftentimes after a
disruptive events occur. Caring for yourself is one of the
negative situation(s) has already created deleterious
most dependable ways to break the cycle of burnout and
effects. One reason leaders don’t take resilience seriously
resupply strength and energy and broaden perspectives.
may be that it can feel like there just isn’t time to
Resilience practices can keep you burning bright rather
work on resilience when facing extreme leadership
than burning out.
demands. Taking time out of an already-busy day

2 Building Leadership Resilience: The CORE Framework ©2020 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved.
A New Resilience Framework: CORE
Conceptualizations of resilience vary widely (Fletcher Each of these areas is vital to helping leaders respond
& Sarkar, 2013). Perhaps in part due to this lack of to challenging situations and additionally contributes
consistency, frameworks and models of resilience to their flourishing, life satisfaction, and wellbeing. It
also vary greatly, in part by context and population. is important to note that resilience is in the center of
Additionally, there are not many practical, individual- CORE—implying that resilience itself (i.e., responding
based models that help people understand how to build adaptively to challenges) does not lie within a specific
their personal resources of resilience. At the onset of quadrant, but rather, is strengthened and reinforced by
our work, we proposed that a framework focused on the each area. A second key aspect of this framework is an
individual process of resilience—specifically practice-based acknowledgement that these four areas are not separate,
processes for strengthening resilience—would be a but rather interwoven, overlapping, and mutually
strong addition to the leadership development field. reinforcing—thus the overlapping circles in Figure 1.
After a review of the resilience and wellbeing literature,
we have created a framework to help leaders better
understand how to build and strengthen resilience (see
Figure 1). We’ve titled this framework the Comprehensive
Resilience (CORE) framework, as it’s based on the notion
that resilience is a whole-self endeavor, involving leaders’
bodies, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is based
on research that span several decades and domains
of psychology, and at the same time is geared toward
practical application and integration into one’s everyday
life. To this end, this framework focuses on four areas of
resilience: physical, mental, emotional, and social.
• Physical resilience is the body’s capacity
to respond to stressors with strength and
stamina, as well as recover from injury.
• Mental resilience is the ability to maintain
or regain cognitive capacities that risk
degradation and to allow creativity to emerge.
• Emotional resilience centers on FIGURE 1
understanding, appreciating, and regulating
emotions, and consciously choosing
feelings and responses, rather than simply
automatically reacting to the environment.
• Social resilience reflects an individual’s
capacity to work with others to endure and
recover from stressors.

©2020 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. Building Leadership Resilience: The CORE Framework 3
Eight Everyday Resilience Practices
CORE not only allows leaders to explore a comprehensive These practices function by generating new resources
and holistic approach to resilience, but also offers a and creating cycles of gains and growth (i.e., to help
helpful way to consider what types of everyday practices stop the vicious cycles that can occur in the absence
might be useful in boosting resilience. It is worth noting of resilience). For example, spending a few minutes
that our overarching framework (which focuses on reflecting on three things for which one is grateful
the physical, mental, emotional, and social aspects of can lead to feeling grateful, which in turn may lead to
resilience) is somewhat separate from the practices; feeling more energetic and committed to the next task
it is more theoretical in nature and can be applied to at hand, which in turn boosts job satisfaction. When
other resilience practices not listed as part of our set of encouraging leaders to engage with these practices, we
eight. Thus, when a new resilience practice not currently recommend that they (a) find the practices most helpful
in the framework is identified, it can be mapped onto for their specific situation and (b) consider diversifying
a part(s) of the CORE space. In the next section of this their practices, such that they do not exclusively rely on
paper, we offer eight practices that can be incorporated one (i.e., diversifying their resilience portfolio). Some
into a leaders’ everyday life (i.e., are actual behaviors practices will seem more palatable and enjoyable than
one can do) and that help generate and strengthen others depending on personal preferences. As with
resilience. The eight practices are: physical activity, sleep, the four resilience areas, we want to highlight that the
mindfulness, cognitive reappraisal, savoring, gratitude, eight practices also overlap; for example, savoring a
social connection, and social contact (see Figure 2). social interaction can pull from both savoring and social
These practices were selected because there is empirical connection practices.
evidence of their effectiveness specifically in leaders,
as well as to demonstrate how different aspects of the
resilience framework can be translated from concept to
practice. The practices are also simple, both in nature
and in how they can integrated into daily life.

FIGURE 2

4 Building Leadership Resilience: The CORE Framework ©2020 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved.
Physical Activity
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines physical
activity as “any bodily movement produced by skeletal
muscles that requires energy expenditure – including
activities undertaken while working, playing, carrying
out household chores, travelling, and engaging in
recreational pursuits” (WHO, 2018). Physical activity is
perhaps the gold standard way to improve your physical TIPS FOR BOOSTING
resilience. P H Y S I C A L A C T I V I T Y.
Of particular interest to leaders, physical activity also If you’re interested in exploring this resilience
relates to cognitive performance. For example, research practice, here are a few ideas to get you
has shown that people who exercise regularly have started:
improved memory, reasoning, attention, and problem-
solving compared to those who don’t (Medina, 2008). • T
 ake the long way. Whether you are
In a CCL survey of more than 1,500 senior leaders, 88% heading to your next meeting, your car, or the
said that exercise “clearly impacts” their performance, refrigerator, try taking a long path, or a new
including improved problem solving, creativity, and path, to your destination rather than opting for
focus; better mental health, mood, confidence, and the shortest and most direct route.
wellbeing; and lower stress levels (McDowell-Larsen, • T
 rack your activity. Use a calendar, journal, app,
2012, p. 19). or wearable fitness tracker (e.g., a Fitbit) to see how
But despite the clear benefits of physical activity, much movement you have in your day.
many individuals still do not adequately engage • S chedule moving meetings. If you do not need to
with this resilience practice. Decreases in physical be in a specific place for a meeting (e.g., looking at a
activity are concerning because researchers screen, whiteboard, or document), try having a moving
have found evidence that sitting too much is meeting (e.g., walk, roll, or stretch).
deleterious to one’s health (Owen, Sparling,
Healy, Dunstan, & Matthews, 2010).

©2020 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. Building Leadership Resilience: The CORE Framework 5
Physical Activity

Sleep
When it comes to the intersection between physical
health, mental acuity, and leadership effectiveness,
sleep is a vital resource. Its importance is highlighted
by examining what happens when humans don’t get
enough sleep: Inadequate sleep impairs functioning T I P S F O R B O O S T I N G S L E E P.
of the brain’s frontal lobes—the areas responsible for
If you would like to explore ways to get more
important cognitive processes such as paying attention,
sleep in your life, here are some tips backed
making good decisions, and making new memories
by sleep experts:
(e.g., Harrison & Horne, 1999). Sleep loss also has ripple
effects into the social area of resilience; more specifically, • K
 eep your bedtimes and waketimes
it can affect the way leaders both perceive and respond consistent. Try going to bed and getting up
to others’ emotions (e.g., in a sleep-deprived state, at relatively the same time each day. Too much
individuals are more likely to respond unpleasantly to variation in your bedtime schedule can confuse
negative events). More generally, sleep deprivation your body, causing it to be more difficult to fall
also relates to increased stress at work, contributing asleep or wake up.
to the aforementioned vicious negative cycles. • G
 et 20 more minutes. If you are not getting
Despite the biological and psychological importance enough sleep, see if you can fit in just 20 more
of sleep, it is still a process with which many minutes. This can be going to bed 20 minutes earlier,
leaders struggle. At the Center for Creative getting up 20 minutes later, or taking a nap in the
Leadership, we conducted a study of sleep middle of the day.
habits among 384 leaders and professionals • C
 reate relaxing routines for priming sleep. Allow
(Svetieva, Clerkin, & Ruderman, 2017) and yourself to indulge in routines that are relaxing and set
found that sleep deprivation was widespread, the stage for sleep. These actions tell your body that it is
with participants reporting getting an average time to rest.
of 6.63 hours of sleep each night and 42%
getting fewer than 6 hours—amounts
that are quite a bit lower than the 7
to 9 hours of sleep recommended by
medical professionals (Suni, 2020). One
potential reason for leaders’ struggle
with obtaining adequate sleep is that
they may feel tethered to their devices
(Deal, 2015), constantly checking
email and project updates out of a
sense of pressure to stay updated
and connected. More than ever,
it is critical that leaders more
intentionally work toward greater
sleep quantity and quality, as
sleep impacts all four resilience
areas.

6 Building Leadership Resilience: The CORE Framework ©2020 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved.
Mindfulness
World-renowned mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn
defines mindfulness as “the awareness that arises
through paying attention, on purpose, in the present
moment, non-judgmentally” (Mindful Staff, 2017). We
adopt this definition and consider mindfulness to have
three main components: It is (a) intentional, (b) present-
focused, and (c) nonjudgmental. While, for the sake TIPS FOR BOOSTING
of simplicity, we are considering mindfulness to be a MINDFULNESS.
practice for cultivating mental resilience, research shows
that mindfulness can have a significant impact on all four If you would like to explore ways to engage
resilience areas. Studies have documented relationships more with mindfulness in your life, here are
between mindfulness and cognitive processes such as some tips:
learning and memory, emotion regulation, perspective • S tart small. Start by taking 30- or 60-second
taking, self-awareness, attention, and self-control (Fox et mindfulness breaks throughout the day. Take
al., 2014; Hölzel et al., 2011). Mindfulness is also related a moment to stop and take stock of how your
to reduced psychological distress (Virgili, 2015), stress body is feeling and ground yourself in the present
(Chiesa & Serretti, 2009), depression and anxiety moment, noticing your thoughts and feelings
(Brown & Ryan, 2003; Sedlmeier et al., 2012), and without judgment.
sleep disturbance (Rash et al., 2019).
• C hoose a sense. Pick a sense and engage with an
There are also documented benefits of mindfulness activity that fully immerses that sense. For example,
in the workplace: In one study, employees who you can listen to a favorite song or focus on the smell
were instructed to use a meditation practice of a particular favorite scent of yours (e.g., a candle).
app reported significant improvements in
• U
 se your breath as an anchor. Try a simple breathing
wellbeing, distress, job strain, and perceptions
exercise. For example, breathe in for a count of 4 and
of workplace social support compared to
breathe out for a count of 6.
the control group (Bostock et al., 2019). In
a recent meta-analysis, researchers found
that increased mindfulness was related to
increased job satisfaction and performance
and decreased burnout and work
withdrawal (Mesmer-Magnus et al., 2017).
In our own work, we found that leaders’
baseline mindfulness level predicted
many desirable leadership attributes
including creativity, thriving at work,
self-efficacy, and, notably, resilience
(Clerkin, Ruderman, & Fernandez,
2021).

©2020 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. Building Leadership Resilience: The CORE Framework 7
Mindfulness

Cognitive Reappraisal
Our thoughts can greatly impact our feelings, behaviors,
and physical sensations (and vice versa). Sometimes,
our thoughts can reflect interpretations (i.e., appraisals)
of the world around us that are not totally correct—
for example, if a coworker is short with us during TIPS FOR INCORPORATING
a meeting, we may assume they are upset with us. COGNITIVE REAPPRAISAL
One empirically supported, effective way to manage I N TO YO U R DA I LY L I F E.
thoughts is with an emotion regulation strategy called If you would like to explore ways to more
cognitive reappraisal. Cognitive reappraisal, at its core, frequently and effectively engage with
is the act of reinterpreting an emotionally-evocative cognitive reappraisal, considering the
situation in a different (ideally, more balanced) way, following tips:
after considering missing information, assumptions,
and new perspectives. An essential part of cognitive • Watch your self-talk. Notice your thoughts
reappraisal is the systematic challenging of potentially when you’re reflecting on situations or individuals
incorrect perceptions and assumptions in such a way around you. Whenever you notice yourself feeling
that one is more likely to come to more enabling distressed at work, take a moment to stop and ask
beliefs about the situation. In our own research, we yourself, “What assumptions am I making
found that leaders who report higher engagement right now?”
with cognitive reappraisal also report higher • Practice using challenging questions. Select
job satisfaction and lower emotional burnout; challenging questions to ask yourself about a given
additionally, we found preliminary evidence situation. For example: What are some alternate
that cognitive reappraisal may influence the explanations for this situation? What are external factors
extent to which thoughts influence your level that might affect the situation? If I surveyed others, how
of burnout at work (Fernandez, Clerkin, & might they interpret the situation?
Ruderman, 2021).
• Take a daily ‘thought timeout.’ Set aside a time, perhaps
at the end of your work day, to intentionally reflect on the
nature and impact of your thought processes that day. See
if you notice any distorted thoughts that may have slipped in
unquestioned. See if there is anything you want to challenge
regarding how you are thinking that day.

8 Building Leadership Resilience: The CORE Framework ©2020 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved.
Savoring
Savoring is defined as the intentional directing of
one’s attention to the positive emotions that arise
when experiencing or thinking about a specific event
(Bryant, Chadwick, & Kluwe, 2011). The goal of savoring
is to relish, enhance, and cultivate positive emotions
via intentionally immersing oneself in them (Lenger
& Gordon, 2019). Savoring can be a helpful resilience TIPS FOR SAVORING.
practice due to an emotional tendency to hyperfocus on
negative emotions (i.e., negativity bias). Below are some tips and tools for
incorporating savoring into your
Several studies have documented relationships everyday life:
between savoring and greater perceived social support,
psychological wellbeing, subjective happiness, and • T
 ake a mental photograph. Take a moment
positive emotions, and lower depression and stress to pause and absorb your surroundings;
(Chen & Zhou, 2017; Hurley & Kwon, 2012; Jose et al., imagine that your eyes are a camera and you’re
2012; Kiken et al., 2017; Quoidbach et al., 2010; Wilson taking a picture so that you can access that
et al., 2020). Savoring has also been documented moment and memory at any time.
in workplace settings. For example, in one study, • S hare your good feelings with others. If you had
researchers found that the association between a particularly productive or inspired day at work, or
perceptions of performance-oriented HR practices you finally found a solution to a significant problem,
and work engagement are stronger when leaders share it with a coworker or a friend. Instead of just
report using more savoring strategies. telling them that it happened, expand (i.e., savor) on
what happened and how it made you feel in detail.
• C
 ongratulate yourself. Just as you might take some
time to share good news with others, take some time to
bask in your own good news. Looking back on the day so
far, what is one accomplishment (big or small) that you’ve
had? Reflect on what that accomplishment makes you feel
and what it might inspire in you.

©2020 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. Building Leadership Resilience: The CORE Framework 9
Savoring

Gratitude
Gratitude is “a specific way of thinking about receiving a
benefit and giving credit to others beside oneself for that
benefit” (Emmons, 2013, Myth 2 section). Research has
demonstrated that gratitude can play an important role
in the workplace. For example, a recent Glassdoor survey TIPS FOR ENGAGING WITH
found that 80% of employees said they would be willing GRATITUDE.
to work harder for an appreciative boss (Glassdoor, 2013).
Below are some tips for incorporating
In another study, researchers found that employees
gratitude into your daily life:
made 50% more fundraising calls when their director
expressed heartfelt thanks to them for their work (Grant • S end a gratitude note. Writing a letter
& Gino, 2010). Gratitude toward one’s organization has thanking someone for the positive impact
also been linked to higher job satisfaction (Waters, they’ve had in your life is a terrific way to boost
2012), increased organizational citizenship behavior, your gratitude. If a letter feels too formal, try
and better relationships with supervisors (Ford, Wang, another way of expressing your gratitude, such as
Jin, & Eisenberger, 2018). an email, text, postcard, etc.

Gratitude can also help people cope during times of • Keep a gratitude journal or list. Keep a journal
challenge and stress. Researchers have found the to record and reflect on your gratitude. If you’re not
experience of gratitude to be related to higher the journaling type, don’t worry; making a short list
self-esteem, boosted physical health, better sleep, works, too. Just jot down three to five things for which
and greater life satisfaction ( Jackowska, Brown, you’re grateful.
Ronaldson, & Steptoe, 2016; Wood, Joseph, & • W
 hen things go wrong, count your blessings. It’s easy
Maltby, 2009). In our research on gratitude at to be grateful when things are going well, but gratitude
the Center for Creative Leadership, we found can have an even bigger impact if you’re going through a
that even during the peak of the COVID-19 rough patch. So, next time something goes wrong at work
pandemic, leaders still found things to be or in your career, see if you can find the silver lining. What
grateful for—and, leaders who had more did you learn from the experience? What opportunity did it
gratitude also had higher levels of job offer you?
satisfaction and resilience.

10 Building Leadership Resilience: The CORE Framework ©2020 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved.
Social Connection
Social connection refers to our ability to connect
and relate to other human beings. While long-term
interpersonal relationships often reflect strong social
connections, connections can also be more fleeting
(e.g., a really good conversation with a stranger on an
airplane, that one person in the audience during your
presentation that nods and smiles and seems to ‘get’ TIPS FOR STRENGTHENING
everything you have to say). As social animals, social YOUR SOCIAL CONNECTION.
connection is central to our wellbeing. The sparking
of positive emotions from social connections can help Below are some tips for increasing your social
contribute to a more positive emotional tone at work, connection with others:
especially in individuals facing challenges and stress, in • E xercise your social muscle. Just as you
part by helping to create cycles of positive gains (e.g., might take on a physical exercise routine, try
feeling supported may encourage someone to engage out exercising your social skills. For example,
more fully with work, which in turn may contribute to make it a point to greet people around you and
performance, which in turn decreases stress about ask how they’re doing (e.g., while congregating
work, etc.). for a work meeting).
The physical and psychological benefits of social • Be generous. Find a way to help a fellow colleague,
connection with others have been widely or at the very least reach out and ask if a fellow
documented in the literature. For example, greater colleague might benefit from your assistance.
social support has been found to relate to greater
• L earn how to understand perspectives other than
psychological wellbeing (Thoits, 2011; Turner,
your own. A cornerstone of social relationships is to
1981) and a stronger immune system (Cole et
really listen to others and to perceive them accurately
al., 2007). Connections can play a particularly
and with empathy. Ask others about experiences or
significant role in strengthening resilience. For
opinions that you do not understand in a way that
example, there is evidence that even small
promotes bonding.
amounts of interaction can improve cognitive
performance (Ybarra et al., 2008), health
via the cardiovascular and neuroendocrine
systems (Heaphy & Dutton, 2008), and
recovery and adaptation to illness and loss
(Lilius, Worline, Maitlis, Kanov, Dutton, &
Frost, 2008).

©2020 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. Building Leadership Resilience: The CORE Framework 11
Social Connection

Social Contact
The final resilience practice included in our framework
is social contact, or the act of positive physical touch
among friends, family, and loved ones. Common
examples of social contact include holding hands,
hugging, patting someone on the back, cuddling, or TIPS FOR INCREASING
petting an animal. Though seemingly minor, displays S O C I A L C O N TA C T.
of social contact can actually have powerful effects on
Below are some tips for utilizing social
socioemotional wellbeing. For example, in one study,
contact to strengthen resilience:
participants who physically received touch from friends
or partners reported feeling more secure than those who • C
 reate a contact routine. Are you getting
did not receive any physical touch ( Jakubiak & Feeney, enough physical contact in your life? If not,
2016). Yet another study demonstrated a relationship try to come up with ways to build more contact
between social contact and managing interpersonal into your routine. For example, you could make
conflict via decreased negative feelings (Murphy, it a ritual to hug a loved one every day before
Janicki-Deverts, & Cohen, 2018). Social contact has you start your workday or use time watching TV to
also been found to be associated with lower cortisol cuddle with a child, partner, or family member.
and a stronger immune system (Cohen, Janicki- • I f you can’t be there in person, use your
Deverts, Turner, & Doyle, 2015). imagination. Some research suggests that even
Documented effects of social contact, such imagining social contact can be beneficial. So next
as increased feelings of security and better time you have to go to a difficult meeting or have
interpersonal conflict management, can be a difficult conversation, try first taking five minutes
especially impactful. However, it is worth noting to imagine a loved one giving you a long hug or a
that hugging and other forms of contact must reassuring hand squeeze. This is a particularly useful
take place in a safe setting. Although it is technique during periods when health concerns limit
possible for appropriate displays of social physical contact.
contact to occur in the workplace (e.g., a • S nuggle your pets. If human companions aren’t often within
handshake or a consensual hug), displays reach, don’t worry! Research shows that animal friends offer
of social contact with loved ones at similar benefits, so snuggle up with a kitten, pet your dog, or
home (e.g., hugging a friend or romantic cuddle your rabbit to boost your immune system and decrease
partner) is likely more effective and your stress levels.
beneficial for improving resilience.

12 Building Leadership Resilience: The CORE Framework ©2020 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved.
Organizational Implications
Though the majority of our framework focuses on Although many organizations have begun to implement
personal practices for developing resilience, there are wellness programs (e.g., programs that encourage
certainly ways in which resilience can be strengthened physical activity), most organizations either have no
at the organizational level. More specifically, harnessing resilience-based program or lack diversity in their
the potential impact of organizational influence on resilience-strengthening programs/approaches, resulting
leaders to promote resilience practices can be extremely in minimal help being offered to effectively address the
helpful, both at the individual and organizational levels. stress and burnout of employees. There are many ways
The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) examined in which organizations support employee engagement
the benefits of investments in resilience programs in with resilience practices, including:
terms of organizational performance and found that
• Implementing educational efforts to better
high-performance organizations are distinguished from
prepare leaders to engage in resilience
lower-performing organizations on a variety of factors,
practices (e.g., incorporate resilience
one being adopting a holistic approach to wellbeing
psychoeducation into employee development
(i4cp, 2020). More specifically, organizations in the
programs, mindfulness training programs)
high-performance group took a holistic approach at four
times the rate of the lower-performing organizations. • Redesigning of processes, policies and norms
In another study focused on comparing individuals (e.g., allow employees more control over their
higher versus lower in resilience, results indicated work hours)
that individuals higher in resilience (i.e., more likely • Community building (e.g., creating
to positively influence others, demonstrate comfort community groups around physical activities,
initiating change, build a positive culture, initiate such as hiking).
appropriate action, not let stressful situations take a
personal toll, and stay engaged in work during times of Leaders can also serve as role models for others in the
high stress) were seen by others as more able to deal organization and advocate for the implementation
with change (Tracom, 2018). and support of the resilience practices. For example,
beginning each meeting with a moment of gratitude
for everyone’s contributions or encouraging coworkers
to wait until the next work day to respond to emails
(versus responding after-hours or during the night).
Altogether, there is a huge upside to promoting
resilience in organizations, including encouraging a more
people-centered climate, which can result in greater
engagement, improved safety, better energy levels at
work, and reduced absenteeism.

©2020 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. Building Leadership Resilience: The CORE Framework 13
Application of the CORE Framework
There are many potential applications of the CORE spans multiple fields of study and multiple situations
framework within the leadership development field that may benefit from resilience. When it comes to
that span both practical and theoretical domains. At the operationalization of resilience, future research
the practical level, our framework provides a simple, focused on our framework can thoroughly assess the
concrete way to teach resilience as part of leadership degree to which individuals engage with each of the
development programs. Rather than vaguely and eight resilience practices as one measure of resilience,
haphazardly defining resilience and making general either via the creation of a new resilience assessment
suggestions about how to increase resilience, or by using existing, psychometrically-valid measures
utilization of our framework can provide clear, specific of the eight practices. Rather than focusing on certain
recommendations for behavioral changes that leaders characteristics of individuals higher in resilience (e.g.,
can make to strengthen their resilience in times of self-acceptance), such an assessment approach could
challenge. Given the time and space to do so, leaders can target concreate behaviors that span four areas of
use these practices to create a portfolio of activities for resilience. By assessing concrete behaviors, researchers
building resilience. can also more easily tie results to actionable behaviors
that can be targeted and modified for more effective
At the theoretical level, our definition of resilience
engagement with resilience practices.
(i.e., responding adaptively to challenges) provides a
potentially useful universal definition of resilience that

Conclusion ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.

Resilience is an incredibly powerful part of the human To learn more about resilience, we
experience of facing challenges. Leaders often find recommend our new book focused on
themselves in complex situations that require drawing introducing and expanding on the CORE
from multiple competencies to perform well. When framework releasing in 2021 by Marian
challenges and stress are added on top of existing
Ruderman, Cathleen Clerkin, and Katya
complexity (e.g., a major organizational change, a
global pandemic), it becomes ever more important Fernandez. In it, we share more about our
for leaders to find effective ways to manage burnout research and experience with helping leaders
and associated distressing emotions. Our resilience cultivate resilience, and go into greater depth
framework provides a simple and concrete way to about the eight practices shared here. The
conceptualize how resilience can be strengthened in book is designed to help people take action and
leaders and paves the way for future research and build up their own unique portfolio of resilience
application focused on effectively incorporating
practices that they can use to adapt and persist
resilience training into leadership development
programs. through any challenges they might encounter now
or in the future.

14 Building Leadership Resilience: The CORE Framework ©2020 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved.
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©2020 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. Building Leadership Resilience: The CORE Framework 17
About The Authors
Katya Fernandez, Ph.D.
Katya is a Research Scientist at the Center for Creative Leadership. She is interested in
exploring the role of emotion regulation in the relationship between cognitive distortions
and important workplace outcomes in leaders. She is also broadly interested in how to
effectively cultivate resilience in the context of leadership. Katya has a PhD in psychology
from Washington University in St. Louis.

Cathleen Clerkin, Ph.D.

Cathleen is the Senior Director of Research at Candid. She was the Manager of Strategic
Research and a Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Creative Leadership when this
paper was written. Her research interests include the integration of neuroscience and
holistic practices into leadership development; issues of identity, equity, diversity, and
inclusion in organizations; and creativity and innovation. Cathleen has a PhD in psychology
from University of Michigan.

Marian Ruderman, Ph.D.

Marian is an Honorary Senior Fellow at the Center for Creative Leadership, a role she
assumed after serving as a research scientist and CCL manager for 35 years. Marian is widely
regarded as a thought leader in the leadership development field. Marian has a PhD in
psychology from the University of Michigan. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological
Association and the Society for Industrial/ Organizational Psychology.
©2020 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. Building Leadership Resilience: The CORE Framework 19
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