more resilient. Nevertheless, mindset is a
key factor of resilience for both individual
and business. Most people loath thinking
of the negative, fearing that by doing
so, they might attract the adversity to
themselves. A mindset of self-belief and
grit is imperative. Soccer teams that
sustain great performances aren’t those
that don’t lose a game, but those that are
able to re-group themselves and quickly
bounce back.
The book, “Making Yourself
Unforgettable,” by Dale Carnegie
Training, underscores this mindset; “You
can also use the worst-case scenario to
your advantage. Allow yourself to imagine
the absolute worst outcome for whatever
situation you’re dealing with. Really look
at it. Face the fear. Feel how it would feel.
Once you return to reality, you have a
sense of having faced the worst, and of
having survived it.” This experience will
make it easier to deal with whatever life
throws your way.
Just like for social insects, decentralized
systems are now possible for humans
through the internet. People can work
from multiple sites, including home. Data
can be stored in multiple sites, including
Cloud. One of the core principle of
agility and resilience that current market
leaders like Amazon, Apple, Google
and Microsoft have embraced in their
companies is a commitment to getting
Three factors that
lead to social insect
resilience are decentralized
control,
redundancy, and
job-switching behavior.
In insect societies,
there is no leader
and no blueprint.
This decentralized
control means every
individual is essentially
replaceable, allowing
colonies to be
resistant to the loss
of individuals.
work done in small self-organized teams.
And just like the social insects, they are
able to solve small problems and re-adjust
to situations before they spiral.
Insects are able to switch jobs in response
to a disruption. Within a nest, individuals
may have jobs they specialize in. This
allows greater efficiency within the nest.
But during a disruption, individuals are
able to switch jobs to fill the gap.
We have seen Java House managers doing
more than one job during the Covid-19
lockdown in Kenya. Broader skills
training is recommended in order to allow
people to assist during some disturbances.
Also, just like the insects, businesses that
have redundant but active back up, either
of machines, retired staff, systems, and
processes are more resilient.
Our key goal now as we try to bring our
businesses back after Covid-19 is to prove
to our clients that we still have focus and
determination to light the path forward. In
the military, resilience is called “intestinal
fortitude.” It’s the ability to overcome
adversity, learn from it, and push through
to new heights. That’s what will separate
the successful from the defeated.
We must learn, at all times, to build
resilience for ourselves and our businesses.
Covid-19 has given us a chance to rethink
our priorities as regards capabilities, and
resilience should be on top of the list.
Herman Githinji is a management
and seasoned marketing consultant
and law graduate from the University
Of Nairobi. You can commune with
him on this and related issues via email
on: [email protected].
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