Business Continuity and Crisis Management Consultants

You are here: Home / Business Continuity / Building a Culture of Resilience in 2025: Leadership Tips for Business Continuity

By //  by 

In today’s fast-changing business landscape, resilience is more than just a buzzword; it’s a critical capability that empowers organizations to navigate disruptions and seize opportunities. A resilient workplace doesn’t happen by chance—it requires intentional leadership, a proactive mindset, and a commitment to cultivating adaptability across teams.

Here’s how leaders can foster a culture of resilience in 2025 to strengthen their business continuity efforts:

Set the Tone from the Top

Leadership plays a pivotal role in shaping organizational culture, especially when it comes to building resilience. Leaders can model adaptability by demonstrating flexibility and openness to change and sharing personal examples of how they’ve successfully navigated challenges to inspire their teams. Additionally, resilient organizations thrive when united by a clear purpose, making it essential for leaders to communicate their vision regularly and show how business continuity efforts align with long-term goals.

Empower Employees Through Training and Development

Resilience begins with a prepared workforce, and this requires intentional training and planning. Providing continuous learning opportunities, such as training sessions on risk awareness, crisis management, and problem-solving, equips employees with the skills needed to navigate disruptions. Ensuring employees understand their specific roles within the organization’s continuity strategy is equally crucial, as clarity fosters accountability and preparedness. Additionally, conducting simulation drills, such as mock scenarios for cyberattacks or power outages, allows teams to practice and build confidence in handling real-world challenges effectively.

Foster Open Communication

Transparent communication is essential for building trust and helping teams navigate uncertainty effectively. Encouraging feedback by establishing channels where employees can voice concerns or suggest improvements to the continuity plan fosters collaboration and inclusivity. Regularly sharing updates about potential risks, mitigation strategies, and organizational priorities keeps everyone informed and aligned. Moreover, recognizing and rewarding employees who demonstrate resilience and adaptability during disruptions reinforces positive behavior and motivates the entire team to embrace a proactive mindset.

Embrace Agility and Innovation

Resilient organizations thrive on agility and the ability to adapt quickly to change. Streamlining decision-making by clarifying roles and responsibilities empowers teams to act decisively during crises. Leveraging technology, such as AI-driven risk analysis, real-time communication platforms, and cloud-based continuity solutions, enhances preparedness and responsiveness. Additionally, fostering a culture that encourages creative problem-solving allows employees to propose innovative solutions confidently, ensuring the organization remains adaptable and resourceful in the face of disruptions.

Want to learn more about Business Continuity?

Our Ultimate Guide to Business Continuity contains everything you need to know about business continuity.

You’ll learn what it is, why it’s important to your organization, how to develop a business continuity program, how to establish roles & responsibilities for your program, how to get buy-in from your executives, how to execute your Business Impact Analysis (BIA) and Business Continuity Plans, and how to integrate with your Crisis Management strategy.

We’ll also provide some perspectives on how to get help with your program and where to go to learn more about Business Continuity.

Read our Ultimate Guide to Business Continuity

Build Strong Relationships

Resilience extends beyond internal efforts; it also relies on strong external partnerships. Strengthening relationships with vendors by aligning their continuity plans with your own ensures a more cohesive response to disruptions. Engaging with the broader community—such as local organizations, emergency services, and industry peers—fosters collaboration, resource sharing, and knowledge exchange. Additionally, recognizing that personal resilience directly impacts professional resilience is crucial. Supporting employee well-being through mental health resources, flexible work options, and wellness initiatives helps create a better-equipped workforce to adapt and thrive during challenges.

Review and Reinforce Continuity Plans Regularly

Resilience is an ongoing effort that demands consistent evaluation and improvement. Analyzing past disruptions, such as those experienced in 2024, helps identify gaps in strategies and refine plans for the future. Staying informed about emerging trends and industry best practices ensures your business continuity efforts remain relevant and effective. Additionally, measuring resilience through metrics like downtime duration and employee engagement provides valuable insights into your organization’s ability to recover and adapt, enabling continuous growth and preparedness.

Celebrate Wins and Build Momentum

A resilient culture flourishes when leaders actively acknowledge progress and celebrate successes. Sharing case studies of how the team has overcome challenges highlights their achievements and provides inspiration for future efforts. Creating recognition programs that reward employees’ contributions to continuity efforts fosters a sense of pride and motivation. Additionally, continuously reinforcing the connection between resilience and the organization’s mission, vision, and values helps embed adaptability and strength as core elements of the workplace culture.

Conclusion

Fostering a culture of resilience requires more than a checklist; it’s about embedding adaptability, collaboration, and foresight into every level of your organization. As a leader, your commitment to these principles will empower your team to survive disruptions and thrive in the face of them. By prioritizing resilience, your organization will be better equipped to achieve sustained success in 2025 and beyond.

Want to work with us or learn more about Business Continuity?

About Marie Strawser

Marie Strawser brings more than two decades of experience in business continuity, disaster recovery, and crisis management to her role as a Principal at Bryghtpath.

Prior to joining Bryghtpath, Marie spent more than twenty years in various business continuity leadership roles for companies like Ameriprise Financial, Target, and US Bank. She began her career at Ernst & Young, where she served as a Senior Advisor on their risk practice team designing and implementing business continuity and crisis management programs.

Marie is the co-founder of the Upper Midwest Security Alliance (UMSA) and presently serves as their managing director. UMSA is a non-profit organization that holds the Secure 360 conference, a regional multi-disciplinary security conference spanning information security, physical security, business continuity, and audit. Secure 360 has been held annually in the Twin Cities since 2006.