Mental toughness and millennial minds

Generation Y represents the narrowest gender wage gap since measurement began. Female leaders today are more ambitious and financially independent than ever before. They expect more from their employers and transparency and commitment about diversity and pay are essential. Females within this group are as career-focused as their male counterparts, and only 15% report experiences of being personally discriminated against at work. So, what makes female millennials resilient, fearless and able to survive the turbulent world of business, when the same environment has stifled many of their predecessors? It’s predicted that their successors, Gen Zers, will be even tougher because they see a world without boundaries. Chartered Psychologist Dr Michelle Hunter-Hill discusses the engineering behind mentally tough Generation Y women.

Female millennials are trailblazers who add value to businesses beyond experience and qualification. Mental toughness – also known as grit and agility – serves as a core factor in aiding them to survive in the modern workplace. These women seem to have it in abundance, which is fitting as organisations crave grit as capital. What was once coined the ‘art’ of leading and managing people is today a ‘science’. Psychometricians can identify grit and make predictions about behaviours – one being that as the business world increases in complexity, the ability to adapt to conflict and change is an expectation of most organisations. In which case, the organisational culture and psychological contract should reflect this. And like it or lump it, the demand for resilient employees is here to stay.

New organisations don’t allow for weaknesses, so employees who lag with their work are shunned, if not ridiculed, and psychologically beaten with the company’s capability framework – it is tough. And just when you thought that wars at work were between managers and employees, you are faced with that wretched, passive-aggressive colleague. The one who can make your working life a hellish nightmare simply because they fear you are more powerful. Without doubt, the modern workplace has become a living expression of Charles Darwin’s notion that only the fittest will survive. However, the struggle has shifted from being physical to mental.

So, in the search for new leaders – whether it be fresh talent or through in-house succession planning – those involved in recruitment and selection prefer candidates with a fearless ability. Keen to confront competition and thrive under pressure, millennial females appear to have plenty of this. They have become popular as their psychometric profile suggests resilience makes up their DNA, at least in occupational settings. Such attributes are determinants of millennials’ ‘pulling power’ to attract recruiters’ attention and drive change.

As a result, the workplace’s power struggle has moved beyond the gender wars that dominated for decades. What matters today is whether employees possess the psychological balls to thrive in chaos. Despite being hidden from the naked eye, our mental strength is what lies beneath and governs our thoughts and behaviour. It serves as the silent voice that empowers millennials, assuring them that they can do it. So silent is it that many question whether it exists. However, over the many years I have spent assessing and developing global leaders, I have observed mental toughness in my own clients’ behaviours.

So, what exactly is mental toughness?

It’s like most things that appear to defy logic in terms of us not being able to touch, see or hear it. There is no consensus for defining mental toughness. Founders of the concept, Clough & Strycharczyk, describe it as a quality people perform in challenging circumstances. And the range of qualities required for mental toughness includes perseverance, resilience, hardiness and stress adversity. It’s the skill of being able to manage difficulty while maintaining confidence.

Most who know what mental toughness is would agree that it concerns exceptional psychological strength. So, even if a leader is physically challenged when it comes to achieving personal goals, optimistic thinking means they’re still likely to get the job done. Millennial leaders, however, seem to go beyond this by believing they can achieve by any means necessary, which affords them a competitive edge.

Why do organisations value employees with a mentally tough mindset?

What Darwin referred to as ‘fittest’ is now perceived by many as being ‘mentally tough’.  Scientists predict that only those equipped with it will survive the unpredictable modern workplace. Research reveals that mental toughness plays a more critical role in business, health and life than expected. This desirable mindset arouses healthy behaviours, leading to positive performance, well-being, aspirations and openness to change. It’s what distinguishes students who complete their courses from those who drop out. Mentally tough individuals are generally more resilient and engaged, with high ambition and expectations, making them an invaluable investment for organisations.