Building Resilience and Discipline

Mary shared how she built resilience and discipline in challenging times. She focused on three areas: self care and mindset, strong teams, and adaptation and agility. 

Importance of self care and mindset:
There are three simple things you can do and have control over: exercise, eat a healthy diet and get sufficient sleep. This is where discipline comes in. She shared one of her favorite quotes she thinks about when she is tempted not to follow self-care. “Regret and discipline. Both are really hard things. Choose, which one do you want to live with?” Another quote she often thinks about that encourages her to do self-care: “Doing the hard things will lead to an easier life. Doing the easier things will lead to a harder life.” So, you need to choose. This isn’t easy but making small changes along the way can have an impact. She also does meditation and highly recommends it. She uses the Calm app.

Mary said she is an optimist. She tries to bring her most positive mindset when she walks in somewhere because it rubs off. Yes, there are bad things that have to be dealt with, but approaching these things with a clear mind and a positive mindset can make such a difference. 

Building a strong and resilient team:
“In the fast moving auto industry. Having a rock solid team isn't just nice, it is an absolute necessity,” said Mary. She shared stories on how her loyal, fearless, and resilient leadership team worked to ensure the company's success through some challenging setbacks to the company. She recommends the book The Five Dysfunction of a Team by Partick Lencioni. 

Agility and adaptability:
“In our line of work, if there's one thing we know, it's that change is pretty much right now. It is the only constant especially in this disruptive environment,” said Mary. Agility and adaptation are crucial skills you must have in navigating challenges. “Agility is the ability to pivot quickly to change direction without missing a beat. It's about reading the road ahead. Knowing when to speed up, or slow down when a sharp turn is coming. And adaptability, it's the ability to morph to meet the needs of any situation,” said Mary.  There are always opportunities in the midst of chaos. Overall, the speaker blends personal anecdotes, motivational messages, and practical advice to convey a message of resilience, discipline, and positivity in the face of challenges.