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Resilience-Building Leader Program

Competency Domain Framework


The Resilience-Building Leader Program is the credentialing body for the Resilience-Building Leadership Professional® series of leadership certifications.

In 2018, RBLP convened a panel of subject matter experts (SMEs) to conduct a comprehensive job-task analysis (JTA) identifying the competencies and leader tasks essential to building and leading resilient teams. This JTA was reviewed and validated in 2023, confirming the continued relevance of the RBLP Competency Domain Framework in today’s workplaces.

The resulting framework defines five interdependent Resilience-Building Leadership Competency Domains that describe what leaders actually do to foster collective resilience—Team Climate, Team Cohesion, Individual Purpose, Team Learning, and Organizational Learning.

Knowledge, skills, and experience related to these competencies are assessed through the RBLP, RBLP Coach, and RBLP Trainer certification exams. RBLP-T certified leaders can use the RBLP Competency Domain Framework to create leader development programs within their organizations.

Certification prep training for the RBLP Leadership Certifications is provided exclusively by RBLP Authorized Training Partners.


RBLP exam prep session discussing team climate

Team Climate

Climate is the shared perceptions about attitudes and emotions that define a team. Climate can shift quickly based on the actions of leaders and team members. While culture reflects the deeper values and beliefs of an organization and changes only over time, climate is more immediate and directly felt. Positive climates are characterized by supportive attitudes and constructive emotions. Creating a positive climate improves morale, fosters creativity, and make people more open to new ideas. Creating a positive climate strengthens problem-solving, adaptability, and resilience, even when the broader organizational culture may not be ideal.

This domain is assessed for RBLP (aspiring and frontline managers), RBLP Coach (experienced managers), and RBLP Trainer (senior managers) certifications.

See the Leader Tasks, Knowledge, and Skills for the Team Climate competency domain.


RBLP exam prep session discussing team cohesion

Team Cohesion

Cohesion is the bond that keeps a team united and committed, even in the face of adversity. It develops through collaboration, mutual support, and the trust that comes from depending on one another. Cohesion has two dimensions: social cohesion, which reflects the strength of relationships and sense of solidarity among team members, and task cohesion, which reflects how effectively a team works together to achieve shared goals. Both evolve over time, strengthening teamwork and resilience. When teams are cohesive, they are more flexible, creative, and capable of solving problems and overcoming challenges together.

This domain is assessed for RBLP (aspiring and frontline managers), RBLP Coach (experienced managers), and RBLP Trainer (senior managers) certifications.

See the Leader Tasks, Knowledge, and Skills for the Team Cohesion competency domain.


RBLP exam prep session discussing individual purpose

Individual Purpose

Purpose is the desire and determination that drives people to create a meaningful and fulfilling future, often through their work. In the workplace, providing purpose means enabling individuals to reach their full potential by supporting both personal and professional growth. Leaders play a key role by challenging people to develop the skills, knowledge, and experience that enrich their lives and careers, while also connecting their contributions to the organization’s larger goals. When people feel a sense of purpose, they are more motivated, committed, and resilient – better able to solve problems, adapt to challenges, and embrace new ideas.

This domain is assessed for RBLP (aspiring and frontline managers), RBLP Coach (experienced managers), and RBLP Trainer (senior managers) certifications.

See the Leader Tasks, Knowledge, and Skills for the Individual Purpose competency domain.


RBLP exam prep session discussing team learning

Team Learning

Work is a team sport. Team learning is a continuous cycle of experiencing, reflecting, deciding, and acting together to improve, innovate, and solve problems. Leaders coach their teams through this cycle of experiential learning. Every experience a team has can be learned from by reflecting on what happened and why. This critical examination then informs decision-making about what needs to change. Those decisions are followed by action, where teams put plans into motion. This cycle repeats as each action creates new experiences, ensuring that learning never stops. Team learning is the foundation of organizational learning.

This domain is assessed for RBLP Coach (experienced managers) and RBLP Trainer (senior managers) certifications.

See the Leader Tasks, Knowledge, and Skills for the Team Learning competency domain.


RBLP exam prep session discussing organizational learning

Organizational Learning

Learning is how organizations gain and maintain a competitive advantage. Organizational learning enables teams and organizations to continuously improve and innovate. Continuous improvement focuses on enhancing existing products, services, or processes, while innovation creates entirely new ones. Together, these practices allow organizations to adapt more quickly than competitors, which is the surest path to long-term success. Because meaningful organizational change requires the ability to learn, the process begins at the team level – where people build the skills, insights, and adaptability needed to move from the current state to a desired future state.

This domain is assessed for RBLP Trainer (senior managers) certification only.

See the Leader Tasks, Knowledge, and Skills for the Organizational Learning competency domain.