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Self-Management

Adapting

Receiving, retaining and processing information

Transmitting information or ideas

Finding solutions to challenges

Using imagination and generating new ideas

Overcoming challenges and setbacks to achieve goals

Setting goals and designing routes to achieve them

Supporting, encouraging and motivating others to achieve a shared goal

Working cooperatively with others to achieve a shared goal

Identifying influence

Comparing views

Analysing views

Investigating bias

Strategic questioning

Evaluating perspectives

Communicating sensitively

Speaking engagingly

Adaptive communicating

Negotiating

Constructive communicating

Presenting

Inspiring others

Following instructions

Evaluating approaches

Continual learning

Imagining

Sharing imagination

Expressing imagination

Generating ideas

Suggesting improvements

Combining concepts

Identifying opportunities

Defining success

Flexible thinking

Reflecting critically

Facilitating creativity

Championing creativity

Improving performance

Practising resilience

Supporting resilience

Identifying successes

Working carefully

Recognising strengths

Understanding reactions

Sharing reactions

Recognising reactions

Facilitating discussions

Managing disagreements

Coaching

Motivating others

Emotional intelligence

Taking responsibility

Reflecting collectively

Learning collectively

Developing others

Improving culture

Step

Practising resilience

I look for opportunities when faced with challenges

Core ideas

What is meant by resilience

Resilience is the ability to cope with difficulties, adapt to change, and keep going even when things are tough. It helps people manage stress, overcome setbacks, and grow from challenges. Resilience matters because:

It helps with emotional well-being: Facing difficulties is a part of life. Being resilient means you can handle stress and emotions more effectively.
It improves problem-solving skills: When you learn to work through problems, you become better at finding solutions in the future.
It builds confidence: Overcoming difficulties makes you believe in your ability to handle future challenges.
It encourages persistence: Resilience helps you stay motivated and keep working towards your goals, even when progress is slow.

It strengthens relationships: Being resilient allows you to communicate better and support others during difficult times.

Why challenges often lead to new opportunities

Although challenges can be difficult, they often bring unexpected benefits. Here’s why:

They encourage learning and growth: When faced with a problem, you may need to develop new skills or knowledge to solve it.
They push you out of your comfort zone: Challenges can lead you to try new things, meet new people, or explore different approaches.
They help you discover strengths: You may realise you are more capable than you thought when working through a tough situation.
They create new paths: A difficulty in one area might open doors to new interests or experiences.

They build adaptability: Learning to navigate challenges prepares you to handle future uncertainty more effectively.

How to use resilience to identify opportunities in challenges

Recognising opportunities within challenges takes a positive mindset and reflection. Here are ways to do it:

Look for lessons: Ask yourself, “What can I learn from this?” Every challenge has something to teach you.
Identify new skills: Consider whether the situation is helping you develop skills that could be useful in the future.
Seek advice from others: Talking to people who have faced similar difficulties may help you see potential opportunities.
Stay open to change: Sometimes challenges push you in a new direction that turns out to be better than your original plan.
Turn setbacks into action: If something did not go as planned, think about how you can use the experience to improve or try a new approach.

Developing this ability to find opportunities within difficulties strengthens resilience. It shifts your focus from obstacles to possibilities, making it easier to recover from setbacks and keep moving forward.

Assessment

Reflective questions for individuals can include:

What is meant by resilience and how can it be helpful?
Why do challenges often lead to new opportunities?
How can you use resilience to spot opportunities in challenges?
When have you shown resilience in spotting opportunities in challenges?

Observation cues for trainers can include:

Is the individual able to identify opportunities in challenges?
Is the individual able to demonstrate resilience in how they respond to challenges or setbacks?

Evidence can include individuals’ self-reflections and observations from others.

Ready to discover more?

Skills Builder Hub

Access Hub

Skills Builder Hub is a complete platform for educators around the world to build their learners’ essential skills.

Join Skills Builder Hub to get free, ready-to-go resources to build essential skills today.

Skills Builder Benchmark

Access Benchmark

Skills Builder Benchmark allows individuals to discover their own essential skills.

It’s free to get started, and is used by individuals, employers, educators and NGOs across the world.

A mockup of Skills Builder Benchmark on a laptop screen. The display shows the beginning of the Skills assessment for Adapting.

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Re-published for Universal Framework 2.0, the handbook helps any educator to use the Skills Builder approach with their learners - whether in primary, secondary, college or specialist settings.

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Listening Step 1: Focusing

Listening Step 2: Recalling

Listening Step 3: Checking

Listening Step 4: Retelling

Listening Step 5: Recognising purpose

Listening Step 6: Note-taking