Underneath the many ways we define wellness - fitness, relationship, career, financial, etc. - is a foundation supported by the effectiveness with which we cope with the world. How we manage unexpected events, how we recover from setbacks, and how we navigate new challenges are among the countless measures of our health and wellness. Before we can evaluate the quality of our interpersonal relationships, the accomplishments of our teams, or the success of our careers, we have to establish a lifestyle shaped by effective coping skills. It is upon that platform that the other definitions of wellness are empowered.

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Think about the last time a day turned out wildly different from what you expected.

  • Your flight was canceled due to historically severe weather.
  • You received the dreaded phone call sharing the news of a tragedy.
  • Your distracted driving caused an accident in which someone was injured.
  • A competitor poached your most trusted professional colleague, and she wants you to join her.
  • Your hand was injured in a household mishap a week before the biggest piano recital of your career.
  • Your phone and wallet full of I.D. and credit cards were left in an Uber.
  • Your friend’s son was wrongly detained by immigration enforcement.
  • Your lab results came back with confirmation of disease.

How did you cope with the adversity? Were you able to remain poised and calmly sort through your options? Did the contagiousness of your upset infect anyone else? Did your performance in your roles at home and work suffer? For most of us, it’s difficult to stay calm, and we are likely to infect others with our upset. Needless to say, personal and professional role performance is usually impacted by a crisis of any size or shape.

These micro-events are the fuel for the challenges we confront in relationship wellness, workplace culture, and organizational health. The teams with whom we participate each day – small and large – inherit our personal strengths and vulnerabilities. You simply can’t be fully engaged at work following a knock-down, drag-out argument with a loved one. It’s impossible to be fully present as a parent after losing your biggest client at work.

When you take care of the foundation first, the other venues of wellness – interpersonal relationships and workplace connections – have a platform upon which to develop. We deliver our strengths and struggles to these teams daily. What are you contributing to your teams?