To my father, who taught me how to learn from my failures, get up, shake off the dirt, and play another day.

It's springtime in Minnesota. After a bitter winter, the trees are pushing out neon green buds and the birds are chirping with glee in the wooded area behind our house. The windows are open and the fresh breezes are aerating our long-sealed house. The atmosphere is charged with fresh possibilities.

My father is lying on the couch on this Saturday afternoon watching the Minnesota Twins play baseball on TV. The sound is turned all the way down. (There were no mute buttons in those days.) He prefers the radio play-by-play announcers to the TV announcers. The transistor radio is perched on his stomach and my normally very busy and enterprising father is in a satisfying state of repose and reverie. He's taking time out to relax and reflect. The to-do list is in the kitchen. I know he will be here for a while and that, if I climb up on the couch to join him, he will go nowhere. He and I will share a baseball game for at least a couple of hours. We're sharing a very special moment!

Dad passed away 6 years ago this month, just as the baseball season was getting into full swing. He lived long enough to be inducted into the Minnesota Baseball Hall of Fame the previous fall. In his day, he was a star catcher and then a coach. He made it through spring training and opening day, but he didn't make it through the season of 2005. Last summer, Mom, my sisters and I fulfilled his last wishes by spreading his ashes in Minnesota. Some of them are now mixed into the soil around home plate in the baseball park where he met and proposed to my mother.

Thanks Dad. You taught me that life, like baseball, is a long season with many ups and downs. You taught me the basics of resilience and renewal - to regularly take time outs; learn from adversity; stay close to those I love; understand and value my strengths; and stay in the game.

Leadership and work life are often challenging. The marketplace continuously changes as does the economy. The workforce is multi-generational and global, with varied needs and approaches to work and life. The demands to do more with less continue as important information flows 24/7. In this context, how do I become an increasingly resilient leader?  

Fundamentals for the Resilient Leader

1. Take regular time outs to reflect, renew and re-set purpose
2. Build and nurture strong relationships inside and outside the workplace
3. Develop mental toughness
4. Identify and leverage your strengths

1 - Take regular time outs to reflect, renew and re-set purpose

• Do I take time each day to think and clarify my intentions for the day?
• Do I regularly take time away from work to think about why I do what I do and what I intend to contribute and accomplish?
• Do I recognize when I'm "out of synch" with myself and do something about it?
• Do I include appointments with myself in my calendar each day? each week?

 2 - Build and nurture strong relationships inside and outside the workplace

• Do I pay attention to important others and seek to understand what matters to them?
• Do I see and encourage their strengths?
• Am I available to them when they want someone to talk with?
• Do I offer corrective feedback in a constructive and caring way?
• Do I request feedback and receive it well?

 3 - Develop mental toughness

• Do I examine how I think and feel when facing adversity?
• Do I ask "Is that true?" when examining my thoughts when I'm stressed?
• Do I replace untrue thoughts (examples: "I'm a failure!"- "It's all their fault!") with more helpful thoughts (example: "That didn't work as I intended. What can I learn from this? What can I do differently?")

 4 - Identify and leverage strengths

• What are my strengths?
• Am I using my strengths in my work and life?
• If not, what will I do to make better use of my gifts?
• Do I use my strengths to address challenges?