Resilience is the Only Response

Last week’s article asked the question, “Which of your assumptions are holding you back the most?” encouraging many people to stop and reflect. It is an annoyingly honest question that makes many, including myself, uncomfortable.

It forces a lens of candour, as if looking in the mirror. It's an opportunity to sunset old, unhelpful ideas.

It leads to expanded awareness and the ability to see greater possibilities.

After what has been an unprecedented week, with shorter tenure in the highest office becoming a norm, impatience for results and with others is at its highest I have observed in my lifetime. Even the average time of Premiership football manager is half the duration it was a decade ago.

Despite my clear filters of news coverage, my day was hijacked as yet another political soap opera unfolded. I was taking a short break from work, in one of my favourite places to have a coffee, trying to relax. A waiter I know well said, “Adrian, Adrian, I told you she would go!” and proceeded to share his political and economic forecasts. He is a very engaging person and meant no harm. Yet all day I felt unsettled.

We have to develop new strategies and skills to cope with, in fact even thrive, in such turmoil.

I reflected why I felt this way and realised that I am a huge fan of London and global commerce, trade and the opportunities it creates for all. Yet the singular self-interest of those in office is a major drag on the ability to conduct business.

I reflected further and it struck me how many people are stuck in jobs and companies that are misaligned to their values, yet they are simply not willing - ?or perhaps not even able - to take a reflective and difficult first step and question their assumptions.

Many prefer to blame others or do nothing about the situation and sit in comfortable misery, rather than taking responsibility.

I am not sure if it is the time of year, (autumn is my favourite season), yet I had been feeling particularly energized by new possibilities, and planning in earnest for 2023. I learnt over a decade ago from a great book On Form: Managing Energy, Not Time, is the Key to High Performance, Health and Happiness by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, that energy management is much more important than time management.

This model of being fully engaged, encourages us to be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused, and purposefully aligned.

Business travel gives me access to my highest energy flows; the variety of different environments establishes a space in my mind where good ideas come to me. ?As author Steven Johnson in his excellent book, Where Do Good Ideas Come From? ?

concludes, “Chance favours the connected mind”; this is adding on to Louis Pasteur’s observation that “Chance favours the prepared mind.”

In life, we get what we are prepared for and looking for. I call it ‘red car syndrome’. If you have just purchased a new car and it is red suddenly you will see all the red cars on the roads. They were always there yet because they were not in your awareness, you would not have seen them.

So, what are you looking and prepared for in life and your career? How are you thinking about those opportunities?

I learnt many years ago from one of the best leaders I have had the privilege of working for. He said:

?“Show up; it creates opportunity”.

He meant, be fully present but also respect the value of proximity, being in a particular city or office location increases chance of serendipity – random and unpredictable valuable encounters.

“Chance favours those who create close proximity.”

Right now, we need to develop our resilience as it is being tested like never before. One of the questions I lead my early part engagement with executive coaching clients is:

Is resilience and grit learnable?

Some believe that this is exclusively a natural born talent, others is it part natural, part learnt skill. ?From an insightful blog Row, Row, Row Your Boat to Ultimate Resilience, Clyde Brolin reflects on an interview with Roz Savage,?who visualised rowing single-handed across the Atlantic Ocean to provide a platform for her passion of protecting the environment.

“Savage insists resilience isn’t something we either have or we don’t, it’s a character trait we learn along the way, once we’ve made a big decision. She went on to become the only woman to row solo across the world’s three big oceans…”

It is my observation that resilience is not equally distributed - some are born with more than others - yet I have experienced that resilience can be actively increased to create more ownership of your life and career. I don’t think I was a particularly resilient child. Yet when I was ten, my mum had to meet the challenge of my dad having a stroke and losing his job. She had to adapt and work multiple jobs, which kept our family afloat. She became my role model and this was my first lesson in steely, purposeful determination and resilience.

Taking over a failing business three days before 9/11 and turning it around to a service ethos and profitability one, with my team, is still one of the proudest moments of my career.

I still recall seeing every day as one to fully embrace opportunity and be sure to be present, just like the sun rose.

We will all be tested at various points in our lives; we have no control over external events, yet we have the choice to respond in the most optimal way possible. That optimal response involves embracing possibility and a wallop of resilience.

I wish you all a resilient week!

My challenges to you this week are:

·???????What places, locations and environments get you energised and aligned to your values?

·???????What small step can you take to build your resilience?

Our purpose at Accelerated Career Results is to transform leaders’ mindset, confidence, and results. For them to achieve their potential through the power of life-enhancing connections, shared experiences, and collaborative learnings.

We achieve this by unlocking the ‘latent ability’ within talented individuals and teams. Our focus is on the Payments, Open Banking and FINTECH industry.

We are passionate about enabling women to be appropriately rewarded for the value they add and have created the “Impactful Negotiations for Women” program.

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