RESILIENCE
History shows that the human race has suffered immensely : world wars , the GFC , and pandemics even worse than the coronavirus . But humanity was resilient and persevered through devastating effects and hardship ; it ’ s how we ’ re standing here today and why you ’ re reading this article right now . But being resilient takes education and practice . While some are born naturally resilient , some are not — and that ’ s okay , but it doesn ’ t mean you can ’ t learn to adapt .
We spoke with resilience expert Rob Redenbach on how to build your resilience and the importance of recovery . After a successful international career in close personal protection , Rob transferred the strategies of elite security to leadership and everyday life . He is the bestselling author of What I Didn ’ t Learn at Harvard .
Several years ago , I was fortunate enough to be invited to speak at an event for EAs . What struck me about the audience was their openness to learning and their willingness to consider ideas and outlooks that were potentially different to their own professional experiences . In my case , I spent a large part of my career working with groups ranging from the bodyguard team of Nelson Mandela in South Africa to aid-workers in the Middle East . As different as those arenas may be to the corporate world , what became apparent during the course of my interaction with EAs , and the subsequent Q & A session afterwards , was the need for EAs to function effectively in highly demanding and complex roles . And when anyone ( regardless of the specifics of their profession ) has a requirement to function effectively in these roles , there is one thing — more than anything else — that will enable them to pass the test of time . That one thing is resilience .
Resilience doesn ’ t happen magically because of a verbal instruction . Telling someone to ‘ be more resilient ’ is as meaningless as defining confidence as ‘ believing in yourself ’. If I believe , really believe , that I can fly that doesn ’ t mean I can actually fly .
What resilience and genuine confidence have in common is that both result from action — not words and not thoughts alone . In fact , resilience and confidence are like dividends that come from making specific investments . It doesn ’ t matter if it ’ s speaking in public , doing pottery , or whatever , if you want to be more confident : seek out experts in the area that ’ s important to you ; read books , watch educational videos online , take part in quality training and then , practise , practise , practise . As your competency improves , so too will your confidence . This approach is pragmatic and proven — it ’ s also quite obvious . What ’ s less obvious is the process of building resilience .
The Harvard Study of Adult Development provides powerful insights into a vital , and often overlooked , element of resilience .
Over a period of 60 years Harvard researchers studied more than 800 men and women , following them from adolescence into old age , and gathering clues to behaviours that translate into longevity , and healthy longevity — i . e . passing the test of time — as the ultimate measure of resilience . The results of the study showed that the longevity of your parents , the quality of your childhood , and your cholesterol levels weren ’ t the most important factors in long-term health and wellbeing . Interestingly , stressful events did not predict future health either .
“ Some people had a lot of stress , but aged very well ,” says Dr George Vaillant , custodian of the Harvard study .
In fact , rather than worrying about stress or genetic inheritance , the Harvard study found that we would be better off paying attention to what can broadly be categorised as ‘ recovery ’, i . e . pursuits that provide an opportunity to recharge .
Having spent more than 20 years studying hundreds of leaders from numerous industries , one of the things that is clear to me is aiming to remove stress is not only highly impractical but is in fact detrimental . Just as bodybuilders need the stress of heavy weights to build muscle , leaders need stress and challenge to become more resilient . So , rather than focusing on — and trying to remove — stress , the key to longevity and resilience is to make a deliberate effort to make recovery a regular part of your life , because stress is not the problem . The problem is a lack of recovery . j
Issue 2 2020 | Chief of Staff 19