By: Lindsay Zubek
This week, I had the opportunity to lead a resilience workshop with a brilliant group of female entrepreneurs. As we moved through the session, naming challenges, mapping support systems, and reframing stuck places, what struck me most was how universal these conversations are.
Whether you’re running a business, leading a team, launching a new idea, or navigating a season of uncertainty, one truth holds: Resilience in leadership isn’t just about bouncing back. It’s about how we move forward with purpose, perspective, and flexibility.
In our work at Plum Leadership Group, we coach and develop leaders across sectors: entrepreneurs, executives, emerging managers, and changemakers. And no matter the role or title, the capacity to be resilient, to adapt, stay grounded, and lead through complexity is one of the most important leadership skills we can build.
1. Mindset
Resilient leadership starts with how we think. Are we interpreting friction as failure or as feedback? Our mindset shapes how we respond under pressure. In our coaching sessions and leadership development workshops, we work with clients to strengthen self-awareness, shift unhelpful narratives, and reclaim agency. A resilient mindset doesn’t deny challenge; it meets it with clarity and curiosity.
2. Emotional Agility
Strong leadership isn’t about being unshakable; it’s about being emotionally agile. We help leaders develop emotional intelligence, recognize their patterns, and respond with intention rather than reactivity. Whether it’s navigating a tough conversation, receiving critical feedback, or managing burnout, emotional agility allows us to stay anchored in our values.
3. Support Systems & Community
Leadership can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be. In our group sessions, we often guide people through a “resilience web” exercise: mapping out the people, tools, and communities that help them stay strong. Mentors, peers, family, team members, practices, playlists; resilience is never built in isolation. It’s strengthened by connection.
4. Adaptability & Innovation
Being adaptable doesn’t mean having no direction; it means being able to pivot with direction when conditions change. Whether you’re navigating a launch that flopped, a shifting market, or a hard decision, adaptability is the difference between getting stuck and getting creative. In our leadership training programs, we teach perspective-taking and small-experiment thinking to spark movement when things feel uncertain.
Coaching for Resilient Leadership
Resilient leadership isn’t about pushing harder; it’s about getting smarter, more grounded, and more connected. Through executive coaching and leadership development programs, we support leaders in strengthening the inner and outer capacities that help them thrive, even when things don’t go as planned.
If you’re in a season of change, challenge, or growth, resilience isn’t just a buzzword. It’s your edge.
