Resilience isn’t about bouncing back harder; it’s about working better together, especially when the pressure’s on.
What Makes a Team Resilient?
When teams are under pressure, dealing with change, stretched resources, or heavy workloads, some fall into survival mode. Others adapt, support one another, and emerge stronger.
That’s not luck. That’s resilience.
And it doesn’t come from pushing harder. It comes from working better together, using strengths, building trust, and creating space for people to contribute fully.
This blog explores what resilience really looks like in teams, and three simple ways managers can help build it, starting today.
What Resilience Really Means in a Team
Resilience is often misunderstood as individual grit. But in teams, it’s something different. It’s about collective confidence. It’s the ability to adapt, recover and grow through challenge, not just endure it.
In resilient teams:
- People feel safe to speak up and ask for help
- Strengths are used, not wasted
- Setbacks are learning moments, not blame games
- Trust is strong — even under pressure
- Energy is protected, not drained
Reimagining Resilience in the Public Sector – Deloitte
Building a Resilient Team Through Trust
The Behaviours of Resilient Teams
You don’t need a diagnostic tool to spot a resilient team. You’ll see it in how they show up.
Behaviour What it looks like
Psychological safety People speak openly, admit mistakes, offer ideas
Shared leadership Everyone contributes, not just the manager
Adaptability The team flexes plans and mindset without spiralling
Strengths focus Work is aligned to energy and capability, not just job title
Trust There’s consistency, openness and follow-through
Resilient teams don’t need to be perfect. But they consistently lean into what works and that starts with the manager’s mindset.
Three Small Ways to Build Team Resilience This Week
Public sector leaders are time-poor, so we won’t give you a five-year plan. Instead, here are three practical shifts that take minutes to start.
1. Add a Strengths Check-In to Your Weekly Rhythm
Ask in a 1:1 or team meeting:
“What gave you energy this week?”
“Where did you feel like you were doing your best work?”
This simple question helps people reconnect with their strengths, which is proven to boost confidence, engagement, and wellbeing.
2. Celebrate a Strength in Action
Public recognition builds psychological safety and belonging, both essential for team resilience.
Try this:
“You really brought your attention to detail to that situation, it helped us avoid a major issue.”
“Your calmness under pressure was exactly what the team needed.”
It’s not about flattery. It’s about visibility.
3. Reflect on What Helped You Get Through a Challenge
In your next project debrief, include:
“What helped us get through that successfully?”
“What strengths or behaviours showed up that we can carry forward?”
This builds learning into your culture and reframes difficulty as growth.
Also see: How to Help Your Team Stay Positive Through Change
Common Barriers (and How to Reframe Them)
“We don’t have time for this.”
→ You don’t need more time, just better habits in the time you already use.
“My team is too stretched to think about resilience.”
→ Exactly why you need to make energy a priority. This is protection, not a bonus.
“I don’t know where to start.”
→ Start with one conversation. Then repeat it.
How Strengthify Can Help You Build a Resilient Team
Resilience isn’t something that develops on its own. It takes the right conditions — and a shift in how we lead, support and develop people.
At Strengthify, we help public sector leaders build those conditions through practical, strengths-based support designed to fit around real workloads and challenges.
Here’s how we can help:
Strengths Discovery Sessions
Ideal for individual public sector professionals looking to better understand how they lead, communicate and make an impact at work. These workshops focus on personal awareness of strengths, building resilience, confidence and clarity for managers and leaders at any level.
Explore Discovery Workshops
Management Development Programme
For managers ready to move from reactive to reflective leadership. You’ll build confidence, learn how to lead strengths-based conversations, and support your team through real-world challenges.
Learn more about the Management Development Programme
Team Development Workshops
Designed for intact teams going through change, growth or realignment. These sessions help teams identify shared strengths, understand each other’s styles, and create practical strategies to improve trust, collaboration and energy.
Great for teams that need to reset, reconnect, or recharge.
Learn more about Team Development Workshops
Appreciative Inquiry Workshops
If you're looking to create long-term momentum, our appreciative inquiry approach helps teams reflect, reframe and re-energise — drawing on what’s already working to shape what comes next.
Explore Discovery Workshops
We’ll work with you to craft the right programme for your team, based on your people, your pressures and your goals. Get in touch.
Final Thought: Resilience Is Built, Not Born
Resilience isn’t a trait a team either has or doesn’t. It’s something you create together through language, behaviour and belief.
And the good news? You don’t need a training course or a big budget. You need a strengths-first mindset and a willingness to start small.
The more your team feels seen, supported and energised, the more resilient they’ll be. And that’s something every public sector team deserves.
Related Reading
Building Team Resilience: Strategies and Benefits
Modelling Resilient Thinking Without Hiding Manager Struggles