DEVELOPMENT
The psychological edge that turns stress into your strength
When workplace pressure feels crushing, some EAs crumble while others thrive. The difference isn’ t luck or natural talent – it’ s hardiness, says Dr Paul Taylor
Our modern culture has become obsessed with comfort, convenience and quick fixes. But as an EA, you’ re constantly navigating unexpected changes, managing multiple stakeholders and handling pressure that would break others. The question isn’ t whether stress will come, it’ s whether you’ ll grow from it or be diminished by it.
What hardiness really means Hardiness is more than just being tough or resilient. It’ s a specific psychological construct representing a pattern of attitudes and skills that provides the courage and strategies to turn unexpected change and stressful circumstances from potential disasters into growth opportunities.
First identified by researchers Salvatore Maddi and Suzanne Kobasa through a groundbreaking 12-year study at Illinois Bell Telephone during massive industry disruption, hardiness has emerged as the key factor that distinguishes those who thrive under extreme stress from those who succumb to it.
THE THREE PILLARS OF HARDINESS
CHALLENGE: The view that change is normal and presents
1 opportunities for growth and learning, with the willingness to lean into challenges rather than shy away from them. For you as an EA, this means viewing that last-minute board presentation request not as an impossible task but as a chance to showcase your capabilities and expand your skill set.
CONTROL: The belief that you can influence outcomes and your
2 overall destiny through your efforts rather than feeling powerless in the face of external forces. This doesn’ t mean controlling everything. It means focusing your energy on what you can influence whilst accepting what you cannot.
COMMITMENT: A tendency to involve yourself deeply in whatever
3 you’ re doing with a genuine sense of purpose, rather than feeling detached or alienated from your work. When you see your role as genuinely important to your organisation’ s success, stress becomes meaningful rather than just overwhelming
48 Executive PA | Summer Issue 2026