Resilience Is a Leadership Skill

By Roger Waluube, Executive Performance Coach

The social care sector is one of the most demanding environments in which to lead. Care home managers operate under relentless regulatory, financial and human pressures — and the majority of those managers are women. Yet resilience, one of the most critical capabilities for sustainable leadership, is rarely developed with the same rigour as operational or clinical competence.

In exploring frameworks that might better support women in leadership, I was recently recommended to research the ResilienceBuilder Assessment Tool, developed by Steve Howe following decades of leadership research. Having looked into it, I am now actively exploring becoming a certified ResilienceBuilder coach — not because I am endorsing it above other approaches, but because its model resonates with what I observe in the women leaders I work with.

The ResilienceBuilder model identifies five core characteristics of highly resilient people: Mental Strength, Purpose, Physical Stamina, Emotional Intelligence and Social Support. For women leading in care, each of these speaks directly to the everyday realities of the role.

Mental Strength
The capacity to stay positive and adaptable under pressure is tested daily in care settings, often compounded by the expectation that women leaders be simultaneously warm and decisive. Coaching that targets this helps women challenge unhelpful thought patterns and lead with both compassion and resolve.

Purpose
Purpose is what separates leaders who endure from those who burn out. Women who lead in care are rarely short of purpose — but reconnecting with it during periods of exhaustion or criticism is vital. A coaching conversation anchored in purpose can help a manager rediscover why she does what she does, particularly when it feels hardest.

Physical Stamina
Physical stamina matters more than we tend to admit. Many women in care leadership deprioritise their own wellbeing while caring for others. The ResilienceBuilder model makes explicit what good leaders know but rarely act on: that looking after yourself is not indulgent — it is part of the job.

Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is frequently a strength for women in care leadership, but without firm boundaries it can become a source of depletion. Coaching in this area supports women to deploy their empathy as a deliberate leadership tool, rather than something given freely at personal cost.

Social Support
Trusted networks and peer relationships are perhaps the most underrated resilience factor. Many senior women in care feel isolated, particularly in smaller independent organisations. Deliberately investing in this pillar, with structured support, can be transformative.
I am keen to hear from women in the care sector who would be willing to share their experiences of how resilience — in whatever form — has shaped their personal and professional journeys. These conversations will directly inform my ongoing research in this area, and I welcome anyone with an interest in women’s leadership and resilience to get in touch.

Roger Waluube is an Executive Performance Coach specialising in women’s leadership. He is currently researching resilience frameworks to support women in health and social care leadership. Contact me at linkedin.com/in/roger-waluube