Advance Women's Leadership

GPW Uruguay's Nibia Pizzo Speaks on Resilience and Leadership at Legados de las Americas Webinar

June 30, 2022
GPW Uruguay's Nibia Pizzo

In May, Global Peace Women (GPW) Uruguay country leader, Director of the health program at the National Youth Institute of Uruguay, practicing psychologist and professor Nibia Pizzo spoke on the topic of leadership, youth and resilience.

Global Peace Women Uruguay has been an organizing partner of the Leadership School for the Americas webinar series in 2022 headed up by Legadoes de las Americas (Legacy of the Americas). Other notable partners are the Global Peace Foundation Paraguay and Brazil, the Esquipulas Foundation and Conferencia Liderazgo Uruguay. The Leadership School for the Americas series facilitates mentorship, discussions and learnings on current issues, peacebuilding and moral and innovative leadership with a cross-sector of leaders, including current and former heads of states, public and private leaders and young leaders.

Mrs. Pizzo introduced the “resilience factor,” a measure of resilience, a quality essential for good leadership. Mrs. Pizzo described resilient people as people who are aware of their potential and limitations, strengths and weaknesses, honest with themselves, and face uncertainty, frustrations, and lack while developing capacities and confidence in their capability. Resilient leaders, in turn, have the courage to act, the desire to take responsibility for decisions made regardless of the outcome, and the ability to build trust and loyalty through behavior of integrity. She said, “A leader is the one who has that more resilient, more positive attitude. Obviously you cannot control the situations, but you can control your emotions and attitude.”

Throughout the pandemic, Mrs. Pizzo has counseled educators, caretakers, parents and adolescents through the challenges of social distancing and unprecedented challenges. She shared tips on how to cultivate resilience and face adversity proactively. The first step is to “feel the pain”: admit loss, lack and frustration and get out of the Ferris Wheel of melancholy or depression.

Mrs. Pizzo suggested the following positive behaviors to strengthen an individual's “resilience factor.

  1. Live positively and creatively. 
  2. Ask for help and seek social support 
  3. Develop ‘informed conscience’ of moral conscience. 
  4. Commit to values and principles and for a fulfilling, broad, rich personal life.

Mrs. Pizzo emphasized the importance of creating a healthy environment for children and encouraging them to express creativity. The family is the best and first place for people to cultivate resilience at an early age, learning how to understand their emotions, develop positive outlooks, seek out help from positive relationships, and cultivate important values that will help navigate through challenges.

In a changing world, especially now more than ever, there is a need for resilient leaders who have the courage to act and build trust and loyalty. Global Peace Women is committed to strengthening and advancing such leadership in women, families and youth.

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