How resilient are you?
How much work do you do to develop your resilience?
I notice that when I ask people this question, the usual response is that I’m good, my resilience levels are fine.
I read a shocking report this week which suggested that perhaps all might not be fine.
It was focused on senior leaders, CEO’s, but it’s highly unlikely the issues are limited to just C Suite.
The report showed that 38 of the FTSE 350 companies had their CEOs stand down in 2022.
That’s over 10% of the largest 350 companies in the UK.
It’s more than double that of 2021 - where the number was 18.
5% to 10%.
Of course, there will be a variety of reasons in there, but this data does point to one conclusion that perhaps we’re not as resilient as we think we are.
Becoming more resilient doesn’t happen by accident.
Becoming more resilient doesn’t happen by thinking about it.
It happens because we develop specific skills and attributes that enable us to withstand the ever increasing amount of challenges we face.
It’s not enough to just set our face against the wind and tough it out.
It requires us to look inward as well as outward.
To understand our patterns as leaders.
To understand how we respond and what we can do differently.
As the neuroscientist Antonio Damasio says’ “we are not thinking creatures who feel, we are feeling creatures who think”.
I’m in final stages of my new book launching in September which looks at the skills and the mindset we need to navigate an ever complex, challenging and changing world.
And the skill of resilience is right up there.
When did you last think to develop, train and hone your skills of resilience?