Perhaps we've been asking the wrong resilience question.
We want our people to navigate ambiguity, absorb change, manage pressure and bounce back from setbacks. Yep, we're after resilient people: employees, leaders, teams, everyone. And fair enough, these are useful capabilities. Especially today.
Now let's consider Chris, a team member arriving at work this morning.
They've checked their bank balance and wondered how far their salary will stretch; their mortgage repayment is taking a bigger bite than they'd like. Their ageing parents need more support, they're worrying about their kids, and the latest unsettling news isn’t helping.
And then they arrive at work, where we expect them to be focused, adaptable, collaborative, creative, positive and resilient. Ready to roll with whatever the day throws at them. Same expectations as yesterday, but potentially fewer resources available to meet them today.
Chris isn't an exception. We're hearing the strain in conversations with clients, friends, colleagues, even in passing at the dog park. Overwhelm, stress, fatigue ... or just feeling 'a bit off' without quite knowing how to shake it.
Businesses are generally diligent about measuring what's happening on the inside. Workload, productivity, absenteeism, engagement, performance. We’ve got strategic goals, KPIs, BU objectives, all that jazz. But how often do we consider how much of someone's capacity has already been consumed before they arrive?
Are we asking people to become more resilient when what they really need is more capacity?
Research suggests that financial pressure can consume cognitive resources, leaving less available for other tasks. Does that mean everyone worrying about their finances is performing poorly at work? No. But it does suggest that pressures outside work can affect the resources we bring to it, and hence our results.
The demands of life don't politely wait on the pavement while we walk through the office door (or whatever ‘shape’ your entry to work takes).
At Vibrant Frog, we’re often helping leaders look beyond individual behaviour to understand the systems shaping it. And right now, life outside work is an increasingly important part of that system.
When someone becomes impatient, withdrawn, less enthusiastic about change or unwilling to take on something new, we might judge them as disengaged, resistant, not coping, or even question their competence.
But what if they're simply running out of room?
Of course, employers can't fix interest rates, global uncertainty, family illness or the cost of groceries. Nor should we assume everyone is struggling in the same way. But organisations DO have considerable influence over whether work adds unnecessarily to the load or helps people manage it.
There's an uncomfortable irony in training people in resilience while continuing to operate systems that steadily deplete the resources resilience depends on. This isn't about wrapping people in cotton wool, avoiding difficult work or lowering accountability. Quite the opposite. It’s a call for a different leadership response: designing work to help capable people perform well, consistently, even when life is throwing plenty at them.
Peak performance requires capacity. And capacity can be built intentionally.
Recently, one of our CEO clients introduced 'Quarantined Thinking Time' to their business. Two hours every Friday, for everyone, from top to bottom. Time specifically set aside to pause and plan.
Why? Because the CEO recognised that if everyone was constantly occupied with the demands of the day, they would struggle to see, let alone solve, the challenges facing the business. Himself included. So, he made this deliberate investment in the organisation's capacity to think, improve and perform.
Creating capacity shouldn't automatically mean 'adding resources'. Quite the opposite. It should start by changing how we use the ones we already have. Here are four practical leadership moves worth considering:
1. Subtract before you add. Remove unnecessary work, friction and competing demands. When something new becomes a priority, what comes off the list? Letting go can be surprisingly difficult, but adding without subtracting has significant consequences – especially over time.
2. Give people as much control as possible. Autonomy, clarity and flexibility help people navigate the unpredictable, both inside and outside work. Where could you give people more say over how, when or where their work gets done?
3. Protect space to recover and think. Don't fill every minute of everyone’s day. Do we really need hour-long meetings back-to-back? Give people time to process one meeting before racing into the next. And time to use the bathroom might be nice!
4. Create energy, not just activity. Connection, progress, purpose and humour are valuable resources. Recognise achievements, celebrate progress and create opportunities for people to connect. Work should give people something back, not simply take. And here’s a simple indicator: how many of your people actually STOP for lunch? It’s a wonderful opportunity to pause, connect and recharge.
We can't control the cost of someone's mortgage, the state of the world or what life throws at them before breakfast. But we have enormous influence over what happens when they arrive at work.
Perhaps the most useful question isn't, "How do we make our people more resilient?"
It's, "How do we stop making resilience quite so necessary?"