Cultivating Resilience through Good Questions and Social Support
Practical Interventions for Entrepreneurs Navigating Challenges
In our previous research publication, we explored factors that support people during times of difficulty and instability. This work was inspired by our experiences with social entrepreneurs affected by the Beirut blast, where we observed both the painful impact and the unexpected resilience within our program communities.
Examining the literature and our data, we found deliberate rumination, social support, and narrative reappraisal are key factors in promoting post-traumatic growth (PTG). Interestingly, our pre/post assessments of teams Values in Action Character Profile showed that humor had the strongest connection with PTG. We believe humor's ability to diffuse stress, unblock the freeze response, open possibility spaces, and foster cognitive flexibility aligns with the skills needed for creative problem-solving in challenging situations.
While check-in questions can vary to serve your organization's goals, we encourage incorporating questions that spark deliberate rumination and community building. These factors promote creativity, growth, and resilience by encouraging realistic, growth-oriented reappraisal of situations and narrative formation.
We believe that entrepreneurship programs, especially for social impact entrepreneurs working in difficult areas, can provide a valuable home for these discussions. It's essential to establish a space that builds meaningful relationships and provides framing for navigating transitions.
Use these questions in your programs, classrooms, or even with your family at breakfast. They should be fun, help develop deeper relationships, and spark creativity. They touch on many of the factors which promote Post Traumatic Growth, including reappraising past difficulties, creating empowered narratives, identifing ways forward, celebrating achievements, and recognizing new opportunities. We did our best to blend reflection on past experiences with humor in daily reflections, take these as a starting point and mix in the features above to give them your own unique twist.
Unexpected Positives and Empowered Narratives
1. What's a surprise from your past that makes you smile?
2. What past challenge did you overcome that seemed insurmountable at first?
3. If a past mishap were a plot twist in your superhero origin story, how did it turn you into a champion?
Ways Forward and Celebrating Achievements
4. What small step did you take in the past that felt like a giant leap for mankind (or at least for you)?
5. What's your 'I nailed it!' moment from the past week? Even if it's just resisting the urge to snooze the alarm?
New Opportunities and Silver Linings
6. What's a new door that opened for you given the situation, even if it was just a crack and you had to squeeze through?
7. How can you turn a past challenge into a silver lining?
Perspective Shifts and Shared Laughter
8. What's the funniest thing about a recent or historic challenge you faced?
9. What past moment made you laugh so hard you forgot you were supposed to be stressed?
10. What's something you took seriously in the past but laugh about now?
Transforming Past Challenges and Finding Light Moments
11. How can you turn a past failure into a funny story that makes you laugh now?
12. What hard-won lesson from the past can you apply to today's challenges with a touch of humor?
These questions are designed to touch upon factors that promote post-traumatic growth, including sharing emotions, cognitive processing, positive reappraisal, and committing to growth actions. By incorporating them into your daily or weekly routines, you can foster an environment that supports resilience, creativity, and positive growth, in the face of significant challenges or just any old regular Monday.