Unleashing The Power Of Mental Toughness In Your Workplace

In today’s ever-changing workplace, mental toughness has emerged as a critical asset for high performing individuals and teams. Mental toughness is described as the ability to maintain focus and emotional control under stress, and it is a key factor in many workplace situations, including decision-making, conflict resolution, and stress management. Mentally tough individuals can maintain focus, control, and commitment in the face of adversity. It drives individual and team performance, agility, and wellbeing and is a major factor in employee retention. It’s perhaps not a surprise then that mental toughness is increasingly being recognized as a key factor in achieving professional success (Ruparel & Topa, 2020).

Mental Toughness, Performance & Agility

Recent studies underscore the profound impact of mental toughness on individual and collective performance. For example, Lee & Kim (2023) have found a significant positive correlation between mental toughness and job performance, demonstrating that employees with higher levels of mental toughness consistently outperform their counterparts. In today's work environment, it has become a distinguishing factor in delivering consistent results particularly in times of challenge, change and uncertainty. Moreover, higher levels of mental toughness drive greater agility and performance regardless of gender and becomes more critical the higher the leadership level in an organization (Marchant, et al., 2009).

Team Mental Toughness

The benefits of mental toughness extend well beyond individual contributions into team performance. A study published in the Harvard Business Review (Wittman, 2018) revealed that teams with mentally tough members exhibit higher levels of communication, collaboration, adaptability, and innovation. Fostering greater collective mental toughness can lead to teams that thrive in even the most challenging and chaotic of environments with significantly less unproductive conflict, stress, and burnout.

Mental Toughness & Wellbeing

Mental toughness plays a pivotal role in preserving mental health and wellbeing. Several studies have shown (e.g., Gucciardi et al., 2015; Klette, 2017; Lin et al., 2017; Mojtahedi, et al., 2021) that mental toughness plays an important role in mental health and psychological wellbeing such that those with higher levels of mental toughness report significantly lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. Investing in mental toughness programs can contribute to reduced stress levels, improved emotional well-being, and enhanced employee coping. This not only bolsters engagement and morale but also minimizes the risk of burnout and illness - especially in high-pressure environments (e.g., Carver, 2016).

Developing Mental Toughness

Today’s workplace requires adaptability and agility making mental toughness a strategic imperative. It allows individuals to navigate uncertainty, fuels high-performing teams, and fortifies psychological well-being. Recognizing and fostering mental toughness in the workforce is an investment that pays dividends in employee performance, satisfaction, and retention in even the most challenging work environments.

Perhaps most importantly, mental toughness CAN be developed in both individuals and teams.

 If you are a business owner or HR/Learning & Development leader and interested in learning more about cultivating greater mental toughness in your organisation, Bakjac Consulting would be happy to provide insight into using a suite of both Psychometric assessment, coaching and training to support individuals and teams in your workplace. Just contact Michelle Bakjac on 041 204 7590 or email michelle@bakjacconsulting.com or visit www.bakjacconsulting for more information.

References

Carver, M. (2016). Organizational resilience and the importance of mental toughness. Primeast. Retrieved from https://www.primeast.com/organisational-resilience-and-the-importance-of-mental-toughness.

Gucciardi, D. F., Jackson, B., Hodge, K., Anthony, D. R., & Brooke, L. E. (2015). Implicit theories of mental toughness: Relations with cognitive, motivational, and behavioral correlates. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 4(2), https://100.doi:10.1037/spy0000024.

Klette, A. (2017). Mental toughness, job demands and job resources: Testing the effects on engagement and stress of South African emergency personnel (Doctoral dissertation). Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch.

Lee, M., & Kim, B. (2023). Effect of the employee’s mental tough ness on organizational commitment and job satisfaction: Mediating psychological well-being. Administrative Science, 13 (5), 133. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13050133.

Lin, Y., Mutz, J., Clough, P. J., & Papageorgiou, K. A. (2017). Mental toughness and individual differences in learning, educational and work performance, psychological well-being, and personality: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, Article 1345. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01345.

Marchant, D. C., Polman, R. C., Clough, P. J., Jackson, J. G., Levy, A. R., & Nicholls, A. R. (2009). Mental toughness: Managerial and age differences. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 24(5), 428–437. https://doi:10.1108/02683940910959753.

Mojtahedi, D., Dagnall, N., Denovan, A., Clough, P., Hull, S., Canning, D., Lilley, C., & Papageorgiou, K. A. (2021). The relationship between mental toughness, job loss, and mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, Article 607246. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.607246.

Ruparel, N. & Topa, G. (2020) Mental toughness: Promising new paradigms for the workplace, Cogent Psychology, 7:1, DOI: 10.1080/23311908.2020.1722354.

Wittman, A. D., (2018). To reduce burnout on your team, give people a sense of control. Harvard Business Review (March). https://hbr.org/2018/03/to-reduce-burnout-on-your-team-give-people-a-sense-of-control.