Three ways to be a more resilient leader

there’s one thing certain about the new global context – which
is the theme of the World Economic forum annual Meeting in
Davos this year – it’s that change, complexity and volatility are
the main offerings.
Leaders who want to thrive and adapt to this context would be
wise to think about resilience. Resilience, by definition, is about
embracing change. It is about not just bouncing back from
stresses and shocks, but having the foresight to prepare for –
and ideally prevent – crises, and having the adaptive and
innovative capacity to rebuild, stronger, after catastrophe
strikes.
Great minds from fields as diverse as ecology, psychology,
military strategy and cybersecurity have studied resilience. It
turns out that no matter what field you look at, resilient people
and systems share common characteristics. They have diverse
and thriving relationships with tight feedbacks, allowing internal
and contextual change to be perceived and understood. They
have sufficient buffers – otherwise known as a bit of wiggle
room – to preserve options when a person or system becomes
compromised. Finally, resilient systems and people react
adaptively: they find ways to decouple from adverse influences
or shut down non-essential functions in order to maintain critical
ones.
Just understanding these core features, the what that makes us
resilient, would be a giant leap forward. The next step is even
more essential and exciting. What if all of us – from the average
citizen to the global CEO – knew how to build resilience? What if
we could learn resilience “orientations”, so that when we
approached problems or designed solutions, we did so through a
resilience lens?
Three core orientations are essential:
1. Start connecting. Connect first with yourself: know
who you are, where you’re coming from and what
drives you. Then connect to others: build
relationships based on understanding,
transparency and trust – not just with your
neighbour but across boundaries and disciplines.
Finally, connect to your context: become an expert
at mapping the complex interactions between you
and your broader environment. And don’t forget to
see these connections across space and time.
2. Start adapting. So many of us are stuck in fixed
mindsets, locked down by unconscious biases or
fears. Open up. Let change hit you. Take it in so
you can learn and grow, adjusting your orientations
and behaviours to suit a changing reality.
3. Start innovating. When we operate from a place of
connection and openness, we are exposed to many
more ideas, allowing us to create the conditions for
breakthroughs. We are able to tap into “flow” – a
state of heightened creativity and optimal
performance unrestricted by self-doubt – that
enables us to envision and spur future scenarios
that others can’t yet see.
Today’s world is extraordinary; it demands extraordinary
leaders, capable of generating paradigm-shifting insights and
innovations.
Changing to this extent may sound difficult. But what choice do
we have? As a great Buddhist scholar once said, while daily
meditation practice is difficult, the only thing more difficult is not
doing it. The same holds true for adopting resilience. It’s tough,
but it’s going to be a lot tougher to keep on living without
adapting our orientations to suit the new global context.
Some good news: resilience leads to the things we now know
from extensive research make us happier: having close
relationships, contributing meaningfully to the world, pursuing
our creative potential and experiencing the rewarding state of
flow. Beyond personal fulfilment, resilience “orientations” – if
ethically motivated – are good for humanity. They cultivate
social inclusion, preserve biodiversity, help us maintain planetary
services such as clean air and water, healthy soil and a liveable
climate. Ultimately, this translates to inter-generational well-
being – a world where the future is better for everyone,
everywhere.