Resilience – the trait that senior leaders must foster in themselves and their teams.

As in life, in business, resilience is key to your success.

I must admit that I had not been following Russ Cook’s attempt to run the length of Africa. However, I awoke on Monday to news that this man - nicknamed the “hardest geezer” had in fact run the length of Africa in 352 days across 16 countries covering 10100 miles and the equivalent of 385 marathons.

This is indeed a feat of “superhuman” endeavours that most of us would consider totally impossible or at the very least ridiculously foolhardy. So, I pondered - what type of mind set is required to endure and persevere through so much? Setting to the side the sheer audacity of the mileage, heat and difficult terrain (deserts, mountains and rain forests); he then encountered armed robbers, machete wielding villagers, fatigue, pain and injury throughout. To keep going when faced with such hurdles is almost unimaginable to most people.

Resilience and how some have overcome real adversity when the odds were stacked against them was in my mind having recently watched the Oscar nominated, now on Netflix, documentary “To kill a Tiger”. After his daughter is attacked Ranjit fights to bring the perpetrators to trial. Here we see a father and daughter fight for justice, in a society heavily prejudiced and weighted against them; challenging societal norms, faced with ostracization, outright mockery and at real risk to their own safety in rural India. They persisted when many would have not.

I appreciate these stories above are extreme examples of resilience and perseverance, but it is for this reason that I highlight them. The power of the human spirit is not to be underestimated and tales like these serve as lessons to the rest of us when we think we cannot do something. ?

Resilience has always been a key trait in the entrepreneurial mindset; overcoming difficulties and building yourself and your team back up to fight another day is how good businesses become great businesses.

The business world, indeed, the world in general has been through some significantly turbulent times of late. In the age of social media, where our News is delivered at record speed, markets respond faster than ever to events which often gives little time for business leaders to process and respond.

Therefore, our business leaders need more than ever to have this bounce-back-ability.

So, how do senior business leaders stay resilient and create a culture of resilience within the business?

Leaders must first cultivate resilience in themselves. Looking after yourself; making sure you are physically, mentally, and emotionally fit helps build and encourage resilience. The old analogy of putting on our own oxygen mask first before helping others with theirs is very apt. As an employer, promoting staff well-being and work life balance for your team reduces stress and allows for a more engaged, resilient and focused workforce. As Aryanna Huffington says “It’s very hard to be resilient when we’re run down”.

In building resilience, the ability to sustain energy levels under pressure and promote a growth mindset is key. When Darragh McCarthy of Fintru came to speak to us at our recent strategy day he talked about how he doesn’t believe in mistakes – just learning opportunities.

It is this type of growth mindset – viewing challenges as opportunities for learning and growth rather than insurmountable obstacles that sets entrepreneurs and business leaders apart. When you lead with a growth mindset your team will be encouraged to see the challenges as learnings and move through these more easily.

Our other guest speaker Eamonn Donnelly of Uform discussed with passion how he left school with no qualifications, set up his business from his mother’s kitchen table, built it up and saw it almost fold to now having revenues of ￡69M. Listening to Eamon speaking about his journey, his grit and determination is unquestionable, and as with many successful entrepreneurs, resilience is not in short supply.

To be resilient, we need to be determined and have a focused goal. This is what sustains us when times get tough. Russ Cook had a clear unwavering goal – run the length of Africa. All the other issues were distractions that needed to be overcome but the goal remained the same. When Diana Nyad attempted to swim from Cuba to Florida at the age of 60 having failed previously at the age of 28, her goal was clear and never changed. The ensuing 4 attempts all had different obstacles to overcome from sharks and deadly jellyfish to mother nature herself in the form of storms and adverse weather conditions. No attempt was the same, but the goal remained steadfast, and she completed the 103-mile swim at the age of 64.

Having a strong support network is important in building resilience. Neither Diana Nyad nor Russ Cook achieved their goals solo. Whilst a dogged single-minded self-confidence is required to achieve our goals so too is humility and honesty. Being honest with ourselves about the challenges we face and displaying humility in acknowledging our own weaknesses allows for closer team collaboration, greater authenticity, and encourages self-improvement.

Ultimately there are many tactics to build resilience in yourself and in your team ?– more than I can cover here - but a good starting point is to identify our own strengths and weaknesses in this area. Understanding yourself and how you react in stressful situations, being honest and holding yourself to account and learning how to be better is the first crucial step.