After a demanding year, the New Year often brings a mix of pressure and possibility. For many managers in higher education, healthcare, and local government, it can feel like a race to catch up, but what your team might need most right now is space to reflect, reconnect, and recharge.
Resilience isn't about pushing through. It's about finding shared ways to recover, adapt and stay connected - especially when the pressure picks up again.
It’s easy to dive straight back into goals and to-do lists. But the first few weeks back offer a valuable moment - a chance to reset team habits, reflect on what worked, and re-energise in small, sustainable ways.
Teams that make space for these moments tend to:
Related reading: Team Reset: Practical Ways to Re-energise After Restructure
Resilience is often framed as an individual trait, but in teams, it’s something we shape together.
It shows up in:
Resilient teams aren’t perfect. They’re honest, consistent, and good at adapting together.
Explore this further: How to Build a Team Culture That Supports Resilience
Whether your team’s coming back from a break or bouncing back from a tough quarter, these small actions can make a big impact:
Use the first meeting of the year to reflect and reset:
This kind of appreciative inquiry focuses on learning and strengths, without skimming past the challenges.
Read more: Strengths and Struggles: How to Talk About What’s Hard Without Losing Hope
Incorporate quick check-ins that build awareness and trust:
“How’s your energy this week, 1–5?”
“What’s one small thing that would help you recharge?”
This creates space for honest conversations and prevents silent burnout.
Related reading: How to Build a Team That Doesn’t Burn Out
Instead of focusing only on problems to fix, notice what’s already working.
Say things like:
“I saw how you kept everyone calm in that session - that really helped.”
This isn’t about generic praise - it’s about naming what makes people valuable to the team.
Explore: Turning Team Tensions into Team Wins: Using Strengths to Fix Communication
At Strengthify, we work with public sector teams to help them move from “just surviving” to building habits that sustain performance, collaboration and wellbeing - without adding to the workload.
Whether you’re kicking off the year or trying to reset after a tough one, we’ll help you:
Explore our:
Together, we can make this year feel different - not because there’s less pressure, but because your team is better equipped to handle it.
The most resilient teams aren’t the ones that avoid difficulty - they’re the ones that build tiny habits for reflection, recovery and support. As the year begins, give your team permission to start there.