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Introduction

In a world that often glorifies the hustle, the Grindset—a relentless drive to work hard, constantly, and excessively—can seem like the golden path to success. But what happens when this ‘always-on’ approach spirals into distress or so-called “burnout”? Let’s explore the dark side of the Grindset and explore a healthier, more sustainable alternative.

In this article

• Defining Grindset: Beyond hard work, it’s endless work, neglecting well-being for goals.
• Media and Culture: Movies, startup culture, and media glamorize grind. Blurring success and overwork, harming well-being.
• Characteristics and Impact: Grindset traits harm quality and productivity. Overwork paradoxically hampers results.
• Transition to Kindset: Enter “Kindset” – balanced success. Prioritize self-care, boundaries, and relationships.

Defining Grindset

The Grindset is not just about working hard; it’s about working constantly. It’s a mindset fixated on achieving goals at all costs, characterized by the inability to switch off and step back. It’s the ‘never enough’ and ‘always more’ approach, regardless of the toll it takes on our lives.

Here’s how this mindset has infiltrated our lives:

In Film and Television

Countless movies and TV shows portray the tireless workaholic as the hero—the one who sacrifices everything for success and inevitably comes out on top. Think of characters in films like “The Wolf of Wall Street” or “The Social Network,” where relentless ambition is glamorized.

In Start-up Culture

The start-up world is notorious for its ‘crunch’ culture. Founders and early employees often wear their 80-hour workweeks as a badge of honor—a sign that they are committed to their vision. This culture is perpetuated by stories of successful entrepreneurs who claim their extreme work ethic was the key to their success.

On Social Media and Influencer Culture

With hashtags like #hustle and #grind, social media platforms are rife with influencers and entrepreneurs showcasing their ‘always on’ lifestyle. These posts often portray a glamorous side of constant work, making it seem both desirable and necessary for success.

In Self-help and Motivational Literature

A slew of books and motivational speakers push the narrative that you aren’t working hard enough unless you are ‘grinding’ day in and day out. They promote the idea that rest is for the weak and that relentless work is the only path to true success.

Grant Cardone’s “The 10X Rule” urges readers to take massive action, working ten times harder than others to avoid mediocrity and achieve success. Gary Vaynerchuk’s “Crush It!” is a call to turn passions into a lucrative career, often pointing to his own tireless work ethic as a blueprint. Timothy Ferriss’ “The 4-Hour Workweek” promotes optimizing life for constant productivity, suggesting that smart, intense work can buy freedom. Napoleon Hill’s classic “Think and Grow Rich” sets forth principles of success rooted in burning desire and persistent effort. “Hustle” by Neil Patel, Patrick Vlaskovits, and Jonas Koffler champions the ‘hustle’ as the key to financial and personal success. Lastly, Ben Horowitz’s “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” offers a raw look into the demanding world of entrepreneurship, emphasizing the tough decisions and relentless effort required to build a company. While these books aim to motivate and guide readers toward success, their emphasis on extreme dedication can be interpreted as promoting a “Grindset” mentality.

Glamorization of Burnout

In some circles, burnout (or a catastrophic downward spiral) is almost seen as a rite of passage—a sign that you are working so hard you’ve reached your breaking point, and this is oddly celebrated. Many consulting firms and startups have cultures of performance without care.

The Grindset mentality, as seen through these lenses, creates an illusion that such a lifestyle is not only normal but is the path to success and respect. It equates personal and professional worth with constant work, and it often dismisses the importance of health, relationships, and personal well-being.

However, this portrayal misses the very real costs—physical, mental, and emotional—that such a lifestyle can impose. It’s a narrow view of success, one that can lead to burnout, strained relationships, and a host of health issues.

Common Characteristics of Grindset

Workaholism. Perfectionism. Chronic stress. An avoidance of leisure activities and a perpetual feeling of running out of time. These are the hallmarks of someone caught in the Grindset.

Let’s explore these and some other symptoms of excessive Grindset in more detail:

1. Workaholism: More than a dedication to one’s job, it’s an obsession, where work constantly preoccupies thoughts, even during leisure time.
2. Perfectionism: The relentless pursuit of flawless performance, often leading to procrastination due to fear of producing subpar work.
3. Chronic Stress: A persistent feeling of being overwhelmed, strained, and anxious due to excessive workloads and expectations.
4. Avoidance of Leisure Activities: A tendency to view relaxation or hobbies as unproductive or wasteful, thus avoiding them.
5. Inability to ‘Switch Off’: Struggling to detach from work, leading to constant checking of work emails, messages, and making late-night or weekend work a norm. 
6. Neglecting Physical and Emotional Wellbeing: Ignoring signs of physical or emotional exhaustion until they escalate into more serious health issues.
7. Depersonalization: Developing a cynical and detached approach to work, clients, and colleagues, due to extreme stress and workload.
8. Substance Abuse: Many people caught up in the grind rely on substances to turn on and switch off. The movie Limitless glamorizes superhuman productivity. It was actually based on off-label use of narcolepsy and ADHD drugs, which became a trend in Silicon Valley Grindset culture. The problem is that stimulant abuse generally requires sedatives in order to relax.  

Who is Most at Risk of Adopting a Grindset?

Ambitious individuals in competitive industries, high-achievers, entrepreneurs, and anyone with stringent personal expectations or demanding jobs—these are the folks most likely to fall into the Grindset trap.

Let’s explore these personality types in more detail:

1. Ambitious Professionals: Individuals in highly competitive fields, such as finance, law, or tech, where long hours are normalized and expected.
2. Entrepreneurs and Start-up Founders: Those who are starting a new business may feel that every hour not spent working is a lost opportunity, making them prone to the Grindset.
3. High Achievers and Perfectionists: People who have always excelled and fear that slowing down equals failure.
4. Individuals with Financial Pressure: Those who are working multiple jobs or long hours due to financial necessity or the fear of financial instability.
5. People in Cultures that Glorify Overwork: Living in a society or community that equates busyness with status and importance.
6. Individuals with Previous Burnout Experience: Ironically, those who have suffered from burnout in the past may be at risk of falling back into these habits if they haven’t developed new coping strategies.

Implications of Grindset on Wellbeing, Productivity, and Performance

The Grindset isn’t just exhausting—it’s destructive. It wreaks havoc on physical and mental health, erodes relationships, and paradoxically, often leads to a decline in the quality and effectiveness of our work. It’s a cycle that is anything but sustainable.

The Toll on Wellbeing

Adopting a Grindset can have serious consequences on one’s physical and mental health. The relentless push to work harder and longer leads to chronic stress, which manifests in various ways, from sleep disorders to anxiety and depression. It’s not uncommon for people with this mindset to neglect self-care, opting to skip meals, exercise, or adequate sleep in favor of more work hours. This neglect can trigger a downward spiral, leading to cognitive, emotional and even physical distress. 

The Paradox of Productivity

While the Grindset is driven by a desire to achieve maximum productivity, it often leads to the opposite outcome. Working extreme hours without sufficient rest can result in cognitive decline, where decision-making skills, memory, and creativity are compromised. In the long run, this constant state of overdrive creates a cycle of diminishing returns, where more hours worked does not equate to more or better output. It’s a paradox where the quest for ultimate productivity ends up stifling the very productivity it aims to enhance.

Undermining Performance and Potential

When someone is constantly in “grind” mode, the quality of their work can suffer significantly. They may become so focused on the quantity of tasks completed that they lose sight of the quality and impact of their work. This tunnel vision can lead to mistakes, overlooked details, and ultimately a decline in professional performance. Furthermore, the Grindset can strain professional relationships, as the individual may become increasingly isolated, less collaborative, and more competitive in unhealthy ways. In severe cases, this could lead to job loss, a damaged reputation or poor interpersonal relations.

Balancing the ‘Grindset’ with ‘Kindset’

Enter what I am calling a Kindset: a conscious shift towards self-compassion, care for others, and a holistic view of success. This is not about working less; it’s about working smarter and kinder. It’s about recognizing that true success is multidimensional and that caring for ourselves and others is a vital part of the equation. Kindset is not fluffy, it involves fiercely focusing on what matters, being purposeful, and practicing altruism and compassion.

Micro-habits for Shifting from a Grindset to a Sustainable Rhythm (Performance with Care)

1. Mindful Breaks: Step away from your desk. Exhale for six seconds. A five-minute walk can reboot your body and mind.
2. Self-compassion Exercise: Treat yourself with the kindness and understanding you’d give to a dear friend in times of struggle.
3. Boundaries: Define your work hours clearly and guard your personal time fiercely.
4. Prioritize Self-care: Exercise. Sleep. Nutrition. These aren’t luxuries; they’re your fundamental tools for peak performance.
5. Connect with Others: Cherish your relationships. Allocate time for family, friends, or engage in community service.
6. Reflect and Re-assess: Regularly check in with yourself. Are you feeling constantly strained? Revisit and adjust your habits and workload accordingly.

Conclusion

In a world where success is often equated with constant hustle and grind, it’s easy to fall into the trap of the Grindset. Defined by a relentless commitment to hard work and productivity, this mentality is glamorized across various platforms—from the charismatic entrepreneurs in start-up culture to the celebrated workaholic characters in films. Whether you are an ambitious professional, an entrepreneur, or a high achiever, you may find this Grindset appealing and seemingly effective, at least initially.

However, the toll this approach takes on one’s wellbeing is undeniable. From chronic stress that affects physical and mental health to the neglect of basic self-care routines, the Grindset sets a dangerous precedent. It often promises peak productivity but ironically leads to cognitive decline and a cycle of diminishing returns, where the hard work becomes less effective over time. In the professional realm, the insistence on grinding can undermine the quality of one’s work, strain relationships with colleagues, and ultimately limit one’s potential for growth and success.

But there is a different path—a more sustainable, compassionate, and holistic approach to success and fulfillment.

Instead of perpetuating the Grindset, imagine a world where we balance this with a “Kindset”—a mindset focused on care for oneself and others. This isn’t about abandoning ambition or goals; it’s about redefining what success looks like. It’s about recognizing that taking time for rest, for hobbies, for relationships, and for self-care isn’t a deviation from the path to success—it is a critical part of that path.

Adopting a Kindset encourages us to set boundaries, prioritize our health, and cultivate our relationships. It invites us to develop micro-habits that foster a sustainable rhythm to life and work—a rhythm that values performance but also deeply respects care. This could be as simple as setting a hard stop to the workday, engaging in regular exercise, meditating, or scheduling time with loved ones.

In this light, success becomes a journey that nourishes not just our professional aspirations but our human essence. It’s a journey that allows us to achieve and thrive without losing ourselves in the process.

So, as we step into our daily lives, let us challenge the pervasive narrative of the Grindset and champion a new narrative—one that celebrates balance, values wellbeing, and ultimately leads us to a richer, more fulfilling life.

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Could this be life’s most important question? Today, the quest for a fulfilling career is open to almost everyone. This was not so in the past. Whilst there is some science and logic to this question, it is also an art. Sometimes it takes years of agonising pursuit and course correction. Sometimes we are just lucky.

This morning I talked to a civil engineer who had battled through large industrial projects. By luck, he discovered that certain people in an area desired large underground cellars and bunkers. Within months he found himself in a niche that has given him challenge, fulfilment and reward. There has been lots of hard work, but this discovery is one of luck and good timing.

Fulfilment—to be happy, engaged and fulfilled—has consistently scored as one of the key factors that defines people with the highest resilience. In 2022, it was the single most important factor. Purpose, focus and sleep are also high on the list.

Current research leans towards purpose being a better contributor to happiness, health and longevity. We wrestle with the question: should I chase purpose or fulfilment? Our team believes the two are inseparable. Your career—or what you decide to do—binds them.

Defining a fulfilling career

We are free to seek what is important—massive, quick wealth; a safe, relaxed career meeting basic needs; to change the world; to keep a parent or spouse happy; to be the best in a field, to travel, to surf, and many more.

In our experience with thousands of successful people, the most fulfilling careers integrate purpose, flow and fulfilment. Purpose (clear and meaningful) is the input that defines the scope of your career. Fulfilment (engaged and happy) is the output when you get it right.

To bind them, we must find flow. Flow is a state that emerges from skilful activity, which secures your purpose. It happens when we match our skills with a meaningful challenge. We become focused, fully engaged and deeply connected with the execution of our skills. Flow is defined as your optimal performance state. You can be as much as five times more effective when in the flow state.

The experience of flow is the ultimate fulfilment. Sure, a great wine, an ice cream or a love story can give you a surge of happiness. However, despite the promises of consumer products, happiness quickly fades to be replaced by regret, more craving and sometimes tragic results. To experience the lasting fulfilment of flow, we must define, explore and train the skills required.

To understand the flow, search your own experience. Perhaps it was mastering a dance, creating art, a sporting achievement, completing a challenging project, or solving a complex problem with colleagues. You will notice that your mind was quiet, you lost track of time, and there was effortlessness or grace in the activity.

How do you map your progress?

Building Your Fulfilling Career

A lucky few may bump into a meaningful purpose and discover the skills to achieve it in flow. We often think of the musical genius (Mozart), gifted athlete (Alcaraz) or young entrepreneur (Zuckerberg) as being blessed with an instant solution. However, those who diligently research these talented people find a massive amount of focused work went into it. In addition, they have brilliant teachers, mentors or colleagues who push them forward.

Getting the proper matching of purpose, flow, and fulfilment requires deliberate discipline over long periods of time. We may need to modify, retrain and even change careers to get it right. The most significant risks are complacency, entitlement and rigidity. Don’t expect the dream career to land in your lap or that you are entitled to it in some way. Hunt and fight for the right opportunities. When a choice is not working out, stay alert and flexible. Sometimes we must double down, but at times, we need to change and start again.

Below are eight practical drills to help you craft your journey and a potential trap in each.

1. Apply your life experience

Examine your own life first. What inspired you? What things have you been good at? Where have you found flow? What has given you deep fulfilment? Can you identify the domains in which you can excel—sport, music, art, crafts, mathematics, language, science, etc? Test out how many combinations of purpose and flow you can imagine.

Trap: unrealistic comparisons with experts.

2. Learn from those you admire

Study those who have succeeded in your opinion. Research their early life experience. How did they discover their journey? Who helped them? How did they practice and develop their skills? Those who become real experts almost always have coaches. As you explore your own journey, reach out to those with experience. Gather a few mentors. Consider getting a coach.

Trap: the narcissistic impulse to believe you can do it alone.

3. Shape your purpose

There are many worthy challenges. Start with your own passion. What really matters to you? How can you contribute to a meaningful outcome over your career? Make sure that your purpose is more than a short-term goal. How will you measure your achievement as you progress in your career? Look for interactions and combinations that may contribute to accelerating your purpose.

Trap: seeing purpose only from your perspective (ask what the world needs).

4. Define the flow that will help you achieve the purpose

The purpose is broken down into achievable goals or challenges. Success requires skills to match the challenge. It can take years to perfect the skills necessary. Consider how you will educate and train yourself to master the skills you need. My daughter aims to be a great lawyer. She has debated for a decade, accumulating various debating flow experiences from school debates to international competitions. When she arrives in court for a major case, she will have a deep reserve of debating expertise to draw upon.

Trap: leaving the development of your flow experiences too late.

5. Focus on clear, challenging goals

Your goals are the milestones that mark the progress of your journey. Be very focused on the most crucial goal to progress to the next milestone. Work in focused bursts where you give 100% of your attention to securing the goal. The more focused you can be, the more flow leverage you will secure and progress faster.

Trap: wasting energy and time on what you cannot influence now.

6. Practice and fine-tune the skills required

Each goal requires a set of well-practised skills. This is where a coach can be very helpful. The tennis player drills movement on each surface, backhands, forehands, serves and net. The debater drills how to read and understand the opposition’s perspectives, interests and arguments while maintaining calm, focused attention on responding and engaging the judge. The professional masters the different components of their discipline to serve their clients with confident expertise.

Trap: failing to drill the finer points of your skill set.

7. Embrace failure and setbacks

Every setback is an opportunity to analyse your skills and look for adaptation. Take time for an after-action review. Engage others and, ideally, a coach in deep analysis, problem-solving and practising the set of skills to succeed. We can learn from sports teams. They analyse video feedback to define the exact sequence of physical, emotional and mental steps that delivered success or failure. Together they problem-solve and then get out on the pitch and practice the adjustments and new sequences.

Trap: push your failures under the carpet.

8. Celebrate your successes

Meeting your goal and being in flow both bring a rush of fulfilment. Take time to enjoy your success. Tell the story. Reward yourself. Take time for recovery and relaxation. Savour the preparation, training, focused application, learning and recovery rhythm. You are making progress. You are experiencing a meaningful life. You are advancing a fulfilling career.

Trap: rushing back into the grind too quickly.

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Mindful leadership is the art — and science — of being fully present and engaged, not just with tasks, but with people and the environment. It’s about cultivating a clear, calm mind, which opens the door to heightened awareness and empathy. This approach is underpinned by science. For example, neuroscientific research reveals that mindfulness practices reshape the brain’s regions tied to attention, empathy, and stress regulation, fostering a more resilient leadership style (Lazar et al., 2005).

Central to this is the polyvagal theory, which provides a physiological explanation for the connection between mindfulness and emotional regulation. It suggests that our vagus nerve influences our ability to calm ourselves in stressful situations. Leaders who understand and apply this theory can create an environment of stability and calmness, even in turbulent times.

At its core, mindful leadership is about balancing the inner self with the external demands of leadership. It involves a shift from reactive to responsive behaviors, enabling leaders to make decisions grounded in clarity and empathy. This shift doesn’t just impact leaders; it ripples through entire organizations, cultivating environments where innovation, trust, and collaboration flourish.

What can we learn from high performance sports?

The principles of sports psychology offer valuable insights for mindful leadership. Athletes, much like leaders, operate under high pressure and their success hinges on their mental state. Studies in sports psychology show that presence – a state of complete awareness and immersion in the moment – is key to peak performance. This mirrors the business world, where leaders who are fully present can navigate complex challenges with greater agility and composure.

Mindfulness, core to sports success, equips leaders with similar advantages. It enhances focus, reduces performance anxiety, and improves response to stress. Just as athletes use mindfulness to remain composed under pressure, leaders can apply these techniques to maintain clarity and resilience. For instance, a study linking mindfulness with improved athletic performance also highlights its relevance in enhancing leadership effectiveness (Gardner & Moore, 2004). This crossover underscores a fundamental truth: the mental disciplines that drive sports excellence are equally potent in the realm of leadership.

Focus vs. Presence in Leadership

Understanding the distinction between focus and presence is crucial for mindful leadership. Focus is the ability to concentrate on a specific task, shutting out distractions. Presence, however, is broader; it’s about being fully aware and receptive to the environment, the people, and the subtleties of each situation. While focus narrows our attention, presence expands it.

In leadership, both focus and presence are essential. Focus drives efficiency and goal attainment, but without presence, a leader might miss important cues, overlook team dynamics, or remain oblivious to broader opportunities and threats. Mindfulness bridges this gap, enabling leaders to switch seamlessly between focus and presence. This agility fosters a leadership style that is both deeply attentive and broadly perceptive, a combination that is powerful in today’s fast-paced business world.

Tools for Cultivating Mindfulness

Cultivating a mindful leadership style requires intentional practice. Fortunately, a variety of tools and techniques can aid this journey. Meditation, for instance, is a foundational practice that enhances mindfulness. It trains the brain to focus, reduces stress, and improves emotional regulation. Mindfulness meditation apps like the Resilience Toolbox, Headspace or Calm offer guided sessions, making it easier for busy leaders to integrate this practice into their daily routines.

Beyond meditation, mindfulness can be nurtured through simple daily habits. This might include mindful breathing exercises during stressful moments, practicing gratitude, or engaging in reflective journaling. Activities like yoga or tai chi also promote mindfulness by harmonizing the mind and body. The key is consistency; regular practice embeds these skills deeper, making them more accessible in high-stress leadership situations.

Emotional Contagion and Psychological Safety

A leader’s emotional state can be incredibly contagious, impacting the mood and performance of their team. This phenomenon, known as emotional contagion, underscores the importance of mindful leadership. When leaders operate from a place of calm and clarity, these qualities are likely to be mirrored by their teams, creating a positive work environment.

Mindful leadership plays a pivotal role in fostering psychological safety—a space where team members feel safe to take risks, voice their opinions, and be creative. By being present and empathetic, leaders can detect subtle shifts in team dynamics, address concerns, and encourage open communication. This not only boosts team morale but also drives innovation and productivity. Google’s Project Aristotle, which studied effective teams, found psychological safety to be the most important factor in team success, highlighting the profound impact of a leader’s mindfulness on their team’s performance.

Implementing Mindful Leadership

Putting mindful leadership into practice involves more than just understanding its concepts; it requires active implementation in daily leadership activities.

Mindful Communication

Leaders should practice mindful communication, which involves active listening and thoughtful responses. This means fully focusing on the conversation without distractions, showing empathy, and considering the impact of your words. It’s not just about what is said, but how it’s said. Mindful communication builds trust and fosters a deeper connection with team members.

Decision-Making

Mindfulness also enhances decision-making. A clear, calm mind allows leaders to consider various perspectives and weigh the implications of their decisions more effectively. It helps in reducing biases and ensures that decisions are not just reactive but are well-thought-out and aligned with long-term objectives.

Stress Management

Leadership invariably involves handling stress. Mindful practices like meditation or deep breathing exercises can help leaders manage their stress levels, maintaining a clear head even under pressure. This not only benefits the leader’s well-being but also sets a calm, composed tone for the entire team.

Challenges and Considerations

While the benefits of mindful leadership are clear, its implementation is not without challenges.

Consistent Practice

The foremost challenge is the commitment to consistent practice. Mindfulness is a skill that develops over time and requires regular exercise. Leaders need to be patient and persistent in incorporating mindfulness into their daily routine.

Cultural Shift

Integrating mindfulness into an organization’s culture can also be challenging. It requires buy-in from all levels of the organization and a shift in how success is perceived and achieved. Leaders must lead by example, promoting and encouraging mindfulness practices within their teams.

Balancing Mindfulness with Business Demands

Finally, balancing mindfulness with the fast-paced demands of business can be tricky. Leaders must find the right equilibrium between being present and responsive to the moment while also driving performance and achieving goals.

Conclusion

Embracing mindful leadership is about much more than adopting a new set of practices; it’s about transforming how we connect with ourselves and others in the professional sphere. By integrating mindfulness into their leadership style, leaders can create a more harmonious, productive, and resilient work environment. The journey towards mindful leadership is continuous, but the rewards – a more engaged team, improved decision-making, and a healthier work culture – are well worth the effort.

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At The Resilience Institute, our dedication to fostering resilience through expert training and research is more than a mission—it’s a promise. We’re proud to share a landmark achievement in our journey: our certification as a B Corporation.

Since our founding by Dr. Sven Hansen in 2002, we’ve been at the forefront of resilience training. Our certification is a testament to our steadfast commitment to not just teach resilience, but to embody it through our practices and impact.

Employing a pioneering approach that integrates modern preventative medicine, positive psychology, emotional intelligence, and neuroscience, we not only empowered companies globally through our training programs but also set a benchmark in measuring human resilience within organizations. This comprehensive approach has cultivated workforces that are more engaged, less at risk, and ready to operate at peak performance.

Our offerings, which include both measurement and facilitated training programs, are grounded in an evidence-based framework. This framework showcases our dedication to rigorous methodologies and impactful outcomes, equipping leaders and their teams with the critical skills needed for navigating change, sustaining well-being, and maintaining high-performance levels.

Achieving B Corp certification places The Resilience Institute within a distinguished network of companies committed to using business as a force for good. This recognition aligns seamlessly with our ethos, further enhancing our ability to make a significant, positive impact on society and the environment.

Benoit Greindl, our CEO, captures the essence of this moment, “Achieving B Corp status is a significant stride in our journey. It’s a testament to our values and a reinforcement of our commitment to ethical practices in every facet of our operations. We’re setting the stage for a resilient and sustainable future.”

As we celebrate this achievement, we recognize that it’s not just about us—it’s about setting an example and fostering a collective move towards a better future. This certification is an inspiration to all, as it solidifies our role as a leader in resilience training and well-being measurement.

For more information about B lab Switzerland, visit https://www.blab-switzerland.ch/

As the holiday season approaches, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the practice of being present. In this bustling period, finding moments of calm and connection can transform our experience, making it richer and more meaningful. Let’s explore the benefits of presence, understand the risks that challenge it, and discover practical ways to cultivate this vital skill. We’ll also share some top tips from the Resilience Institute team.

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The Benefits of Presence

The concept of ‘presence’ or ‘mindfulness’ has been extensively researched, and its benefits are well-documented. Here are some key advantages that align particularly well with the holiday season.

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Enhanced Emotional Well-being

• Reduces Stress and Anxiety: Studies have shown that mindfulness practices can significantly reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety. By focusing on the present moment, individuals can break the cycle of worrying about the past or future, leading to a calmer state of mind.
• Boosts Mood: Being present can also enhance overall mood. A study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology suggests that mindfulness increases positive emotions and reduces negative emotions, contributing to a happier state of being.

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Improved Relationships

• Deeper Connections: When people are fully present with their loved ones, they tend to form deeper and more meaningful connections. Active listening and engagement, hallmarks of being present, foster a sense of understanding and empathy, crucial for strong relationships.
• Better Communication: Presence improves communication as individuals are more attuned to the nuances of conversation and non-verbal cues. This can be particularly beneficial during family gatherings and social interactions during the holidays.

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Physical Health Benefits

• Reduces Chronic Pain: Some research indicates that mindfulness can help in managing chronic pain. By focusing on the present, individuals may perceive pain differently and develop coping strategies that enhance their quality of life.
• Boosts Immune Function: Engaging in mindfulness practices has been linked to improved immune function, which is especially useful during the winter season when many are prone to colds and flu.

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Enhanced Enjoyment and Appreciation

• Savoring the Moment: Presence allows individuals to fully engage and savor each moment. This can transform routine experiences, like a holiday meal or a walk in the snow, into sources of joy and contentment.
• Gratitude: Being present often leads to an increased sense of gratitude. Mindfulness encourages individuals to notice and appreciate the small joys and blessings in life, a practice that can be especially rewarding during the festive season.

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Cognitive Benefits

• Improved Focus and Concentration: Regular practice of mindfulness enhances one’s ability to concentrate and focus, which can be beneficial in both personal and professional spheres.
• Enhanced Creativity: By clearing the mind of constant background chatter and worry, presence can open up space for creative thinking, useful for holiday activities like decorating, cooking, or gift-giving.

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Risks to Presence

The journey towards cultivating presence is often hindered by various modern-day challenges, with digital technology being a prime culprit. In today’s hyper-connected world, our attention is constantly pulled in multiple directions, thanks to smartphones, social media, and the ever-present digital buzz. This constant connectivity, though beneficial in many ways, poses a significant risk to our ability to remain present, especially during the holiday season.

One of the main issues is the distraction caused by digital devices. Notifications, emails, social media updates – all demand a slice of our attention, often pulling us away from the people and moments that matter most. This fragmentation of attention not only reduces our ability to engage deeply with our surroundings but can also lead to a sense of perpetual busyness and stress. The holidays, a time traditionally reserved for relaxation and family, can become periods of heightened digital activity as people rush to capture and share every moment online, paradoxically missing out on the actual experience in the process.

Additionally, the overuse of digital technology can lead to mental and physical fatigue. The blue light from screens can disrupt sleep patterns, while the cognitive load of processing constant streams of digital information can lead to mental exhaustion. Poor sleep and mental fatigue, in turn, make it even harder to stay present and enjoy the holiday season to its fullest.

Recognizing these risks is the first step in mitigating their impact. By being mindful of our digital consumption and consciously deciding to unplug and connect with the world around us, we can reclaim our ability to be truly present.

Can we Develop Presence?

Developing presence is a skill that can be nurtured with practice. One effective approach is through micro-habits – small, manageable changes in daily routine. For instance, practicing mindful breathing for a few minutes each day, engaging in a digital detox for an hour each evening, or simply savoring a meal without distractions can be powerful steps toward greater mindfulness. Read our guide to developing mental clarity.

Another often-overlooked aspect of presence is accepting and enjoying the imperfections of life. The holidays don’t have to be picture-perfect to be meaningful. Embracing the quirks and unexpected moments can lead to authentic experiences and joyous memories.

By embracing the moment, reducing digital distractions, and appreciating the simple joys around us, we can experience a more fulfilling and resilient holiday season.

Perspectives from the Resilience Institute Team

Alexia Michiels

I value highly family time – especially when it becomes more rare!  I will commit to be fully present during the few days we have with our four children together during the Christmas break.  I will be more intentional in bringing my mind and my heart here and now.

‍Sven Hansen

While family and relaxed social time are the key ingredients, we enjoy summer so my ultimate presence is when I am in the ocean. Today I had a short ocean swim, connected with about 15 turtles, one ray and surfed 5 waves. That is my special zone of presence. Water, moving, sea-life…

Thierry Moschetti

I plan to spend quality time with my loved ones and simply enjoy their presence and company, and for this I will leave my smartphone in another room, and avoid booking too many activities.

Gilles Alex

For me this year will be gratitude and joy – for the great new relationships I have forged and nurtured this year. After a family party I will be celebrating on ski ! I want to create an artificial one week long bubble to take care of me and my closed ones whilst being close to nature.

Johanna Crichton

The quality of our relationships determines our life quality.  Therefore, this holiday season, I commit to being more present in my precious relationships. To do so, I will deliberately practice engaged whole sensory listening, increased empathy, decisive use of tech devices, and participation in interactions with curiosity and openness.

Bradley Hook

In Australia and New Zealand we call this time of year the “Silly Season.” But it turns out being silly — and playful — are seriously bebeficial to well-being and mental health. David Attenborough said, “It is through play that the lion cubs develop agility.” What we practice we get good at, so I commit to practice being Playful this holiday — and maybe I’ll be surprisingly agile when we reconnect in 2024!

Andrew Flach  

For me, it  would be a practice of Gratitude. To appreciate the small and big things, be thankful for what I have. To embrace the hope and promise of the coming year. And of course, less time on tech, more time in nature.

Victoire Demaison

On my end, I would say Realign. A period to focus on myself, listen to my body, reflect, and set new intentions.

Pauline Soares

I would say Decide and Prepare. Last year, it was one of the most stressful times of the year. I can’t prevent the same things from happening this year but I already prepared my mind to let this – that will happen – go and decide what I want to achieve during the break: it will be the lighthouse I will look to when the family storm will blow.

Imagine culture not just as a concept, but as the very fabric that holds our societies, organizations, and even biological systems together. It’s the story we tell ourselves about who we are – a narrative that shines a light on what truly matters to us, how we connect with others, and our place in the grand scheme of things.

In society, think of culture as more than a mere backdrop; it’s the heartbeat of our collective existence. This vibrant mosaic of art, language, traditions, and norms doesn’t just surround us – it forms the bedrock of our identity, the blueprint of our interactions, and the lens through which we perceive our world. Like an artist, culture shapes us subtly yet profoundly over time, much like a river carves canyons into the landscape.

When we delve into the realm of science, the term ‘biological culture’ offers a unique perspective. It’s about cultivating life in a controlled environment, which metaphorically highlights the transformative power of nurturing conditions on growth and behavior. This is akin to culture in the workplace, where an environment is created that shapes and molds organizational practices and employee behavior. It’s where the DNA of a company’s ethos – its values, traditions, and beliefs – comes to life, influencing everything from strategic decisions to the seemingly mundane daily interactions.

Workplace culture is not just an element of an organization; it’s its very lifeblood. It’s where a company’s purpose aligns with its people, where individual passions meet collective goals, creating an unstoppable force that drives the organization forward. This culture goes beyond policies and procedures; it’s the soul of an organization, a vibrant force that brings the mission to life.

Just as society is ever-evolving, so is workplace culture. It’s a dynamic entity, shaped by the people who bring it to life and the changing tides of societal norms. The strongest cultures are those that remain fluid, adaptable, embodying the enduring values of the organization while responding to the evolving needs of its people.

In essence, culture is about connection – the thread that weaves together our work, our relationships, and our broader interaction with the world. It’s a living, breathing entity, constantly evolving and adapting. Whether it’s in the microscopic world of a petri dish, the bustling dynamism of society, or within the collaborative walls of a corporation, culture is the unseen force that shapes our experiences and drives us towards a shared purpose.

Culture vs. Strategy

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” is not just a catchy phrase; it’s a business reality. While strategy lays out the roadmap to success, culture fuels the journey. Consider strategy as the blueprint and culture as the builders. You can have the most exceptional blueprint, but without the right builders with the right mindset, the end structure might not stand tall.

Companies that prioritize culture witness a ripple effect:

• Employee Engagement and Productivity: Engaged employees, driven by a strong culture, are more productive and innovative. They don’t just ‘work’; they ‘believe’ in their work.
• Retention and Attraction: High-performing talents gravitate towards companies with a positive and aligned culture. It reduces turnover costs and attracts the best minds.
• Decision-making: In the absence of rules, culture provides a compass. Companies with a robust culture have streamlined decision-making processes because values and norms act as guiding principles.
• Financial Performance: According to research, companies that prioritize culture tend to outperform their competitors. A study by Deloitte found that 94% of executives and 88% of employees believe a distinct workplace culture is vital to business success. Furthermore, organizations with a strong culture saw a 4x increase in revenue growth.
• Customer Satisfaction: Happy employees create happy customers. A vibrant culture translates to better customer service and improved customer relationships, driving loyalty and growth.

In essence, while strategy can be replicated or adapted by competitors, culture remains a unique identifier for a company—a DNA fingerprint, if you will. It’s the heart and soul that drives sustainable business performance and resilience in a rapidly changing world.

The Organic Nature of Culture

You can’t mandate culture. It transcends the confines of written edicts or visual symbols. It isn’t a mission statement on a wall or a slogan on a t-shirt, but rather, it’s the living, breathing embodiment of collective behaviors within an organization. This concept echoes the profound wisdom of Mahatma Gandhi: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Just as Gandhi advocated for individual responsibility in societal transformation, in the corporate realm, culture begins with individuals—especially leaders—embodying the values and behaviors they aspire to see in their organization.

When leaders act as role models, demonstrating integrity, passion, and commitment, they don’t just send a message; they set a precedent. It’s akin to the ripple effect of a small group of passionate and committed individuals, which, as is often said, is all it takes to change the world. In a corporate context, this group can start with the leadership team, whose actions and attitudes are like seeds sown into the soil of the organization.

As these behaviors are consistently practiced, they gain momentum, creating a powerful undercurrent that permeates the entire organization. Employees observe and internalize these behaviors, leading to a gradual yet profound transformation in the workplace culture. Over time, these individual contributions coalesce, solidifying into the culture of the company. A culture born not out of mandates but out of genuine, lived values becomes the guiding force, steering the organization towards its vision. Companies like Netflix, Apple and Microsoft are examples of culture modelled by leadership and lived by all.

By embodying the change they wish to see, leaders and employees alike play a crucial role in cultivating a culture that is authentic, dynamic, and deeply ingrained in the fabric of the company.

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Types of Workplace Culture

Here is a list of workplace cultures, including a definition and some potential strengths and risks. Most organizations are a blend of a few of these examples. Did we miss one? Email [email protected] and let us know!

Resilient Culture

• Definition: A culture that prioritizes adaptability and the ability to bounce back from setbacks. This culture type values problem-solving, flexibility, and a positive attitude in the face of challenges.
• Strengths: Quick recovery from challenges, long-term sustainability, and strong problem-solving capabilities.
• Risks: Potential for complacency (relying too much on the ability to bounce back), and the danger of not proactively addressing systemic issues, assuming resilience will always prevail.
• Advice: Measure and understand current resilience levels. Cultivate  adaptability and growth mindset, encourage open communication about challenges, and prioritize problem-solving skills across the organization. Contact us to find out how. A resilient culture can serve to support all of the following culture types.

Hierarchy Culture

• Definition: A structured environment with clear roles and procedures governing actions.
• Strengths: Stability, predictability, and efficiency.
• Risks: Resistance to change, lack of innovation, and bureaucratic red tape.
• Advice: Establish clear protocols and structures, maintain consistent communication of roles and expectations, and implement formal decision-making processes.‍

Clan Culture

• Definition: Resembles a family emphasizing collaboration, loyalty, and tradition.
• Strengths: Nurturing environment and employee loyalty.
• Risks: Resistance to external ideas and overemphasis on consensus.
• Advice: Build strong interpersonal relationships, encourage collaboration and team-building activities, and create a supportive and inclusive environment.

Adhocracy Culture

• Definition: Encourages risk-taking, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
• Strengths: Agility, adaptability, and pioneering spirit.
• Risks: Lack of stability and potential for chaos.
• Advice: Promote a culture of innovation by encouraging risk-taking, celebrating creative ideas, and maintaining flexibility in processes and thought.

Market Culture

• Definition: Focused on results, external environment, and competition.
• Strengths: Competitive edge and goal achievement.
• Risks: Short-term thinking and potential neglect of employee well-being.
• Advice: Set clear, ambitious goals, foster a competitive spirit, and align rewards and recognition with achievement of specific market-oriented outcomes.

Purpose Culture

• Definition: Driven by a shared cause or mission beyond profits.
• Strengths: Commitment and alignment around shared goals.
• Risks: Potential neglect of operational efficiency or profitability.
• Advice: Clearly articulate the organization’s mission and values, ensure all activities align with this purpose, and encourage employees to contribute to this shared vision.

Learning Culture

• Definition: Prioritizes growth, knowledge acquisition, and adaptability.
• Strengths: Continuous evolution and staying ahead.
• Risks: Analysis paralysis and constant change fatigue.
• Advice: Invest in continuous education and development opportunities, encourage experimentation, and create a safe space for sharing knowledge and mistakes.

Innovative Culture

• Definition: Emphasizes creativity and pioneering new ideas.
• Strengths: Leading market position and groundbreaking initiatives.
• Risks: Overemphasis on newness and potential lack of focus.
• Advice: Create an environment where new ideas are welcomed and rewarded, reduce the fear of failure, and constantly challenge the status quo.

Customer-centric Culture

• Definition: Focuses on exceeding customer expectations.
• Strengths: Enhanced customer loyalty and satisfaction.
• Risks: Potential neglect of internal operations or employee satisfaction.
• Advice: Prioritize customer feedback in decision-making processes, train employees to focus on customer needs, and align business objectives with customer satisfaction.

Team-first Culture

• Definition: Emphasizes team dynamics and collaboration.
• Strengths: Cohesive work and synergy.
• Risks: Potential for groupthink and undervaluing individual contributions.
• Advice: Promote teamwork through collaborative projects, recognize team achievements, and create opportunities for team members to bond and work together.

Aggressive Culture

• Definition: Driven by competition and the desire to outdo rivals.
• Strengths: Achievement of significant milestones and industry leadership.
• Risks: Ethical lapses and unsustainable pace.
• Advice: Set challenging goals, encourage a high-energy environment, and reward achievements that surpass expectations, all while maintaining ethical standards.

Performance-oriented Culture

• Definition: Prioritizes results with rewards based on metrics.
• Strengths: Clear focus and high achievement.
• Risks: Overemphasis on results, potential neglect of process or ethics.
• Advice: Clearly define performance metrics, provide regular feedback, and align rewards with individual and team performance outcomes.

Safety-first Culture

• Definition: Prioritizes safety protocols and training.
• Strengths: Reduced accidents and enhanced employee trust.
• Risks: Slower processes and potential for complacency.
• Advice: Regularly train employees on safety protocols, conduct frequent safety audits, and create an environment where safety concerns can be freely expressed.

Bureaucratic Culture

• Definition: Rigid structures with adherence to established policies.
• Strengths: Clear guidelines and standardized processes.
• Risks: Resistance to change and lack of innovation.
• Advice: Implement and maintain standardized procedures, ensure compliance with regulations, and establish clear hierarchical decision-making processes.

Holacracy

• Definition: A system without traditional hierarchy; roles are clear, but autonomous.
• Strengths: Flexibility and empowerment.
• Risks: Potential lack of direction or accountability.
• Advice: Clearly define roles and responsibilities, encourage autonomous decision-making within those roles, and regularly review and adapt the organizational structure.

Diversity and Inclusion Culture

• Definition: Prioritizes inclusiveness irrespective of background.
• Strengths: Wide perspectives and enhanced employee morale.
• Risks: Potential tokenism or surface-level initiatives.
• Advice: Implement diversity training, actively recruit diverse talent, create inclusive policies, and ensure that all voices are heard and valued.

Sustainability and Green Culture

• Definition: Emphasizes eco-friendly practices.
• Strengths: Positive public image and long-term thinking.
• Risks: Potential higher upfront costs and greenwashing allegations.
• Advice: Integrate sustainable practices into business operations, educate employees about environmental impact, and incentivize eco-friendly initiatives.

Transparent Culture

• Definition: Encourages open communication with shared information.
• Strengths: Trust-building and informed workforce.
• Risks: Information overload and potential misuse of information.
• Advice: Regularly share company information with employees, encourage open dialogues, and foster an atmosphere of trust where transparency is valued.

Global Culture

• Definition: Prioritizes global perspectives and multicultural operations.
• Strengths: Global reach and adaptability.
• Risks: Complexity and potential cultural insensitivity.
• Advice: Embrace global diversity in hiring, provide cultural sensitivity training, and adapt business practices to suit various cultural contexts.

Coaching Culture

• Definition: Emphasizes continuous feedback, mentoring, and employee growth.
• Strengths: Personal development and long-term employee retention.
• Risks: Overdependence on guidance and potential for micro-management.
• Advice: Train leaders to be effective coaches, provide regular and constructive feedback, and establish a mentoring program to facilitate personal and professional growth.

Well-being Culture

• Definition: Focuses on the holistic health of employees, including physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
• Strengths: Increased productivity, lower turnover, and higher employee satisfaction.
• Risks: Potential overemphasis on wellness initiatives at the cost of operational goals.
• Advice: Implement programs focused on physical, mental, and emotional health, encourage work-life balance, and create a supportive environment where employee well-being is a priority.

Conclusion: Cultivating the Culture You Desire

As we reach the end of our exploration of the diverse and dynamic world of workplace cultures, a reflective pause is in order. Look around your own organization. What kind of culture do you see? Is it one that resonates with the heartbeat of hierarchy, pulsating with structure and order? Or perhaps it’s a vibrant adhocracy, buzzing with innovation and risk-taking? Maybe it’s a harmonious blend, or possibly, it’s in a state of flux, searching for its true identity.

But the more pressing question is: What kind of culture do you aspire to have? Envisioning the ideal culture for your organization isn’t just an exercise in wishful thinking. It’s the first step in a strategic transformation. This vision needs to align with your organizational goals, your workforce’s aspirations, and the evolving landscape of your industry.

Transforming this vision into reality hinges on behaviors – those small, everyday actions that, collectively, shape the culture of a workplace. If your goal is to foster a culture of innovation, encouraging open dialogue, embracing failures as learning opportunities, and rewarding creative risk-taking are behaviors to cultivate. For a more collaborative clan culture, fostering team-building, emphasizing empathy, and practicing transparent communication are key.

But who will champion these behaviors? This is where leadership steps into the spotlight. Leaders are the architects and the ambassadors of workplace culture. Their commitment to modeling and reinforcing these behaviors sets the tone. It’s not just about what they say in meetings; it’s about the values they embody in their daily actions, the standards they set, the stories they share, and the behaviors they reward.

Ask yourself, are the leaders in your organization ready to walk this path? Are they prepared to be the catalysts for this cultural evolution? The journey to cultivating the desired culture is continuous and demanding, but it’s also enriching and potentially transformative.

As you ponder these questions, remember that culture is not a static entity confined within the walls of an organization. It’s a living, breathing essence that evolves. Your role, whether as a leader or a member of the team, is to nurture this essence, to help it grow and adapt, ensuring that the culture within your workplace not only reflects your current values but also paves the way for future success and fulfillment.

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A journey to flexible, resilient minds

A resilient mindset appears as a simple, compelling concept. If we could just acquire such a thing – perhaps with a pill or an app – life would magically become better. A resilient mindset could solve all sorts of problems.

For a critical mind, the concept is complex and confusing. Is there even such a thing?  If there was such a thing, how might we develop and apply it?

In this article we try to understand and define what a resilient mindset might be and explore whether it is possible to develop such a thing.

What is a resilient mindset?

First, we must define a mindset. The catchy answer is to tease out Carol Dweck’s growth mindset. A fixed mindset takes the position that things cannot be changed – even with dedicated effort. For example: “There is no point in me trying to do mathematics. My mind is just not built for mathematics. I simply cannot solve these problems.” This built on Martin Seligman’s learned helplessness. Research demonstrates that it leads to a less fulfilling life.

The growth mindset, previously called learned optimism by Seligman, takes the position that if I apply myself, I can learn to master this. For example: “Mathematics is challenging for me and many others. If I apply myself and practice hard enough, with the right support, I can learn to solve these problems.” Research demonstrates that this belief leads to fulfilling and successful lives.

We cannot see these mindsets in a brain scan. They are beliefs about our abilities and the challenges presented to us. We could say that a mindset is a strongly held belief. There is evidence – primarily from twin studies – that some beliefs have as much as 50% genetic origin. Conservative views, pessimism, risk taking, and anxiety correlate with inheritance.

Nevertheless, we can become more aware of our beliefs and through this learn to challenge and adjust our beliefs. In this way cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) can cure depression as well or better than anti-depressants. Likewise, a belief that ‘those people’ are evil and awful can change with constructive engagement to a belief that ‘those people’ are just like me.

In summary, a mindset is a mental representation of how things do or don’t work. Here are some mindset tests.

Which statement describes your mindset?

• People are selfish
• We should be self reliant
• Humans cause climate change
• High taxes are good
• I will take care of myself
• Empathy is a hardwired trait
• I believe I can master ‘x”
• Life is brutal, solitary, nasty and short
• People are kind and generous
• We should support people
• Climate change is random
• Tax should be minimised
• Others should care for me
• We can learn empathy
• There is no point trying ‘x’
• Life is a creative advance into novelty

Does one really want a mindset? Perhaps in this age of polarisation, what we need more are flexible perspectives. Rather than having set beliefs, we might learn to explore different perspectives thus testing the pros and cons of each. The BBC advocates a paradox mindset. There is no one right way and therefore, “mindset” may be misleading. We vote for flexible minds.

Second, we must define resilience. Is it a genetic attribute which is fixed at an early age?  Alternatively, is it a learned set of skills that we can all acquire with effort and support. Some believe that it is ‘bouncing back’ from adversity. Others believe that adversity stimulates post traumatic growth.

While we must each come to our own definition, our research shows that the learned ability to bounce, grow, connect and find flow is an integrated set of skills. A skilful performer takes on increasingly difficult tasks. Adversity and failure are inevitable. They must learn to bounce forward fast. As they learn bounce, they grow physical, emotional and mental skills. These skills are connected in a team, game, or specific situation to achieve the flow state. Whilst super-productive and fulfilling, there will be setbacks.

Right here we face one of the conundrums of our time. Should we protect our children and people from adversity? Shall we make sure we are physically safe, emotionally coddled, and mentally complacent? In this mindset, adversity is the problem. People must be protected. Pressure and challenge must be avoided. We must support people at all costs and ask little of them.

Alternatively, should we challenge people with adversity and risk? Evidence shows that adversity stimulates awareness and growth. Further, serious adversities connect communities and increase collaboration. Rather than seeing people as vulnerable and victims, we view human ability as noble. We expect dedicated self-improvement and altruism.

Either one can become a fixed resilience mindset. These are the polarised perspectives of liberal humanism versus stoic self-reliance. Taken to extreme, both perspectives have risk. If we press the first, people can become frail (unwell), fearful (anxious) and fragile (depressed).  If we press the second, people might feel isolated, exploited and distressed.

A flexible, resilient mind might ask when safety is the priority versus when challenge and accountability is a better solution. Pick your battles with wisdom and learn to adjust with new information.

How to build a flexible, resilient mind?

The bad news is that it takes time, effort and repetition. A pill or an app is not the solution. Hard work over thousands of hours defines the path. The good news is that we can learn and master well established, defined skills. There are even some bio-hacks (short cuts).

The goal of a flexible, resilient mind is:

“to construct a conscious, deliberate alignment of our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual resources to engage effectively with a defined situation”

Conscious and deliberate cognition is essential. Our thinking must be clear, ordered, flexible and creative. In approaching the situation, we must have a clear view of the complexity of the situation, master our own state, and be able to generate creative options to solve it.

The All Black rugby team has drilled this under the name of ‘red or blue, decide, do’. Articulated well by Ceri Evans, it is the discipline of engaging with a challenging moment knowing that we can choose between a ‘red’ emotionally reactive approach or a ‘blue’ thoughtful and deliberate approach. Players practice selecting the ‘blue’ by stepping back, up and in. They ‘step back’ to calm the ‘red’, then step up to get a clear view, and then step into the situation fully committed and deliberate.

In a challenging situation, the body will often react with fear (flight), anger (fight) or withdrawal (freeze) reactions. These strong negative emotions disable clear thinking and decisions. They can set the mind in stone.

The challenge is to restrain strong, negative reactions. To do this we have to name them, tame them and reframe them (step back and up). It is only when our emotional state is calm and positive that we can activate the mental skills required to assess, analyse and solve the challenge.

Our physical wellbeing is essential to support this effort. Good quality sleep, adequate rest and recovery, physical fitness and smart nutrition are required.

We can think of our spiritual resources as faith. Faith that with deliberate practice I/we can learn to master this situation (grow and flow).  Faith that self-care is an ethical imperative (grow). Faith that people are fundamentally good (connect). Faith that flexible and creative work can solve the toughest challenges (bounce, grow, connect and flow). Faith that those who love and support us will be there regardless of the outcome (connect).

To apply this approach in your own life, think of a specific situation or challenge you are facing right now. Describe the situation clearly in writing. Reflect on the last time you confronted this situation. What were you thinking? What emotions were in play? What did you experience in your body?

As you describe how your mental, emotional and physical resources lined up to the situation, you can see with clarity how the situation evolved. This is called situational awareness and is the foundation of a resilient mind, emotions and body.

Next, define in writing what sort of outcome you would like to achieve in this situation. When you can define clearly the current versus desired outcome, you have created tension – a gap that you intend to close. This is the purpose of a flexible, resilient mind. We can apply willpower to close the gap.

Then, you must apply the creative solutions that help you close the gap. There are many variations that you might consider and explore. What new thinking might you introduce? What emotions will motivate and inspire action? What sort of physical wellbeing and engagement is required? This is called situational agility. This is the work of a resilient mind, emotions and body.

Once you can build a few potential solutions to the challenge, you are applying integral resilience and situational agility. It may not work on the first attempt. Be willing to test and trial these options with a colleague or a coach. The first time you apply it, it will feel awkward and may go astray. Sit down and reflect following the steps described. What do you need to be more aware of? What other options are available? How can you practice that particular part of the solution?

If you have made it this far, you are on the path to a resilient mindset – sorry – flexible, resilient mind.  Well done.

Suggested Reading:

1. Mindset: updated edition, Carol Dweck, 2017
2. Learned Optimism, Martin Seligman, 2006
3. The Coddling the American Mind, Lukianoff and Haidt, 2019
4. Perform under Pressure, Ceri Evans, 2019

The term emotional intelligence is perhaps one of the trendiest buzzwords in modern organizational psychology. Since author Daniel Goleman first published the book by the same name in 1995, the term ‘emotional intelligence’ has seen exponential growth in terms of how many times it has been referenced in the printed English corpus. The book has also been translated into over 40 languages globally.

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I recall a longstanding billboard that sits on the northbound side of the 101 highway as you drive into San Francisco, California that shows a picture of a businessman dressed in a suit who holds a digital tablet — as if to measure something. The text of the billboard read something along the lines of “What is your team’s emotional intelligence?”

Emotional intelligence has quickly climbed the charts of organizational needs. Starting in 2016, the World Economic Forum estimated that by 2020 emotional intelligence would be the 6th most important skill for the future of work. Just last year in 2022, Forbes bumped emotional intelligence up to 3rd on that list. In fact, emotional intelligence is so popular in big business that an offshoot emotional intelligence specialist — author of “Emotional Intelligence 2.0” Travis Bradberry — supplies emotional intelligence assessments to some 3 out of 4 Fortune 500 companies.

The rapid ascension and adoption of emotional intelligence is one of the largest takeovers in the business world since the Myers Briggs Type Indicator — a “personality test” that’s nonetheless used in corporate coaching and hiring practices in Fortune 500 companies. You might wonder if the hype behind emotional intelligence is justified.

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Why should you measure emotional intelligence in the workplace?

Emotional intelligence is a skill that is not only growing in importance, but need. Employers are actively seeking workers with soft skills like emotional intelligence to better navigate the future of work. In a very real way, machines are becoming more and more integrated into business and the consumer experience. From intelligent assembly machines to customer service chatbots, the workplace is becoming automated. That’s why soft skills like emotional intelligence are on the rise, or as McKinsey & Company penned it, there’s a need for “soft skills for a hard world.”

Here’s three reasons why your organization should start measuring emotional intelligence.

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From the top

With so many claims of emotional intelligence being a proper asset for Fortune 500 companies, you would expect to find a few quotes floating around. You would be correct. CEO of Microsoft Satya Nadella praises the emotional intelligence index created by Goleman, noting that the empathy competency helps make people better at innovation.

Amazon creator Jess Bezos once said that smart people show examples of high emotional intelligence because they remain “open to new points of view, new information, new ideas, contradictions, and challenges to their own way of thinking.”

The CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, also places a high value on emotional intelligence at the workplace. Pichai told Inc.,”You’re not just a manager. You’re a coach, trying to get the best out of others. It’s about empowering other people to succeed… To lead effectively, you have to understand the person you’re working with, not just the role they play.”

And those who champion emotional intelligence also have the numbers to back up the talk.

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By the numbers

Here’s a look at the statistics behind the efficacy of emotional intelligence:

1. According to a report by New Carat, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon rank in the top 10 for the most emotionally intelligent companies. Others include Visa, Samsung, Adidas, PayPal, Nike, Netflix, and Disney‍
2. 71% of hiring managers value emotional intelligence over general intelligence (IQ)
3. Empathy, the top leadership skill, can improve performance by 40% in coaching, engaging others, and decision-making
4. Emotional intelligence accounts for 58% of job performance
5. Goleman’s original research claims that emotional intelligence accounts for some 90% of difference in profile attributes of star leadership performers, rather than general intelligence or personality.

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Backed by science

According to Daniel Goleman, emotional intelligence is the inborn human capacity to recognize one’s emotions and the emotions of others, while emotional competencies are the learnable capabilities that build on emotional intelligence and are critical for work performance.

The first part of his statement — about the recognition of emotions in ourselves and others being inborn — can be summed up by two quotes by renowned neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett, “Emotions are not reactions to the world; they are your constructions of the world,” and “It takes more than one human brain to create a human mind.” Barrett shows how our emotions are not only recognizable to ourselves, they actually create our own worldview. We are then able to recognize emotions in others, and their worldviews. The second part of Goleman’s definition is captured in this quote by renowned neuroscientist Joseph Ledoux, “Emotions are a critical source of information for learning.” In short, Goleman’s concept of emotional intelligence is rooted in science.

Emotions have been the subject of scientific inquiry for centuries. Even Charles Darwin had a theory of human emotion. Such a longstanding inquiry means that scientists have been studying emotional intelligence for a long time, even though they didn’t come up with such a catchy phrase. For example, psychologist Reuven Bar-On writes in an oft cited 2006 review published in the journal Psicothema that Edward Thorndike’s studies on social intelligence in the 1920s mark the early components of emotional intelligence. It is no coincidence that Goleman’s assessment for emotional intelligence, the ESCI, measures emotional and social competencies.

In the 21st century emotional intelligence has continued to peak researcher interest. Goleman’s claim in the last By the numbers section — that emotional intelligence predicts performance at work better than other measures like general mental ability or personality — was verified by business professors Druskat and Jordan in 2007. Another concept researchers have linked to emotional intelligence is resilience, or our ability to adapt to change and stress. A 2013 study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences found that emotional intelligence promotes resilience to stress, which means that resilience is an aspect of emotional intelligence.

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How to measure emotional intelligence in the workplace

Intuitively, we all know what emotional intelligence is. But relying on intuition alone can lead people to have biased viewpoints. That’s where an assessment comes into play. Assessments enable people to work with coaches to give their personal point of view on their particular skill set and compare it to a group of others’ perceptions of the individual’s skillset. This is known as the 360 assessment — and it can be applied to an organization as well.

If you want to measure emotional intelligence with individuals in your organization, or even the organization as a whole, then you have a few options. Goleman worked with other industry experts to form the Emotional and Social Competence Index (ESCI). The assessment uses the 360 aspect to compare a self survey to the perspective of a group of raters on several core emotional intelligence competencies that fall under the major categories self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.

The individual can learn how to develop — notably this tool is designed for development only — certain competencies like how to accurately identify their own emotions, how to assess one’s skills, how to control emotions, how to be resilient, how to be empathetic towards others, how to develop organizational awareness, how to manage conflict, and how to collaborate and work with others better.

You can preview the finer details of the ESCI in the technical manual. Korn Ferry currently offers a comprehensive certification course for about $1,800 if you are interested in becoming certified. If you are looking for a way to access the assessment for your organization, Korn Ferry offers the assessment for about $300. Notably, delivery and feedback of the assessment requires a certified practitioner.

There are other options out there for measuring emotional intelligence. Here are a few other examples.

The Resilience Assessment — created by us the Resilience Institute — contains an entire category, “Engage Emotion,” and five specific factors relating to emotional intelligence. Additionally, the toolkit provides insights into emotional risk factors within the Categories “Withdrawn” and “Vulnerable.” When placed within the context of our holistic model the connections between safety, well-being, EQ skills and high performance can clearly be mapped.

The Resilience Assessment provides individuals with blueprints of their EQ and resilience skills, while providing leaders with maps detailing strengths and risks across the team.

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The Team Emotional Intelligence Assessment — created by Druskat and Wolff — can provide you with the overall perspective of the member’s perceptions of the team. According to the assessment’s technical manual, it can help individuals better understand other team members, help the team solve problems and build optimism, and also help build external relationships.

The MacCann and Roberts Situational Test of Emotional Understanding (STEU) and Situational Test of Emotion Management (STEM) are situational judgment tests that view Emotional Intelligence as a cognitive ability. The STEU describes a situation and asks the testee to choose one of 5 emotions for an answer. The STEM details an emotional situation and then gives 4 choices. The best answer will be the most effective course of action to “manage both the emotions the person is feeling and the problem they face in the situation.”

Whether you are interested in development or performing research, there are many options for measuring emotional intelligence in the workplace,

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What does emotional intelligence look like at work?

To get a better understanding of how emotional intelligence plays out in the workplace, and why it is advantageous to cultivate it, let’s run through the same scenario twice. The first time, the group will not exercise emotional intelligence. Then, using the 4 main categories of Goleman’s theory — self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management — we’ll explore how emotional intelligence measurement and coaching can improve the situation and the performance of the team.

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Situation before emotional intelligence: 

‍A leader of a team in an organization is hot tempered, and will get very upset if the team does not carry out their commands. Unfortunately, the leader has little awareness of their negative emotional input on the team, and certainly does not do much to regulate their own emotions when things don’t go as planned. Since emotions are contagious, they bleed into the team. Now the team members are quick to blow a fuse with one another and easily drift towards negative emotions. Unable to identify their influence on the team and its newly adopted behaviors, the leader lacks the social awareness to establish any healthy relationship practices with the team, and performance and satisfaction plummet. 

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This is not an uncommon scenario. In fact, if this scenario weren’t common, it’s doubtful that the coaching industry would be valued at over $15 billion dollars. Now let’s revisit that scenario after an emotional intelligence coach is brought in.

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Situation after emotional intelligence: 

After observing the leader’s and team’s behaviors for a few days, the coach administers the emotional intelligence assessment in a 360 format. The leader takes the self assessment and the team provides peer feedback on the leader. While the leader scored themselves highly in all categories, they are surprised to learn that the team holds much lower views of the leader. The coach works with the leader to identify the areas of weakness and works with them to develop their skills. After some time, the leader buys in and starts to take an honest assessment of their emotional intelligence. 

Now the leader catches themselves when they are losing their patience, and instead of getting angry and yelling, the leader now reframes mistakes into learning opportunities. They have learned new breathing exercises to calm down when they get in the red. And the positive emotional contagion has changed the team dynamics. The members are more patient and working better together, which drives more results. The leader, once emotionally deficient in intelligence, now exercises self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management to help the team perform better and make the workspace a better place. This is the power of emotional intelligence. 

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Conclusion

Emotional intelligence is a popular skill in organizational psychology. We are all born with the capacity to recognize emotions within ourselves and in others, but we must learn and train these competencies in order to maximize our performance in the workplace. Emotional intelligence can not only help the individual perform better, but also teams and organizations. Emotions can make or break the workplace — make sure your organization is on the right side of the divide.

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After two decades of playing on sports teams, culminating in an NCAA career, and another decade working for teams in a business setting, you start to recognize tangible parallels.

A quality performing team is a notoriously elusive thing to create. No amount of buzzwords like synergy, trust, and leadership can guarantee that your team will function and adapt to the playing field in order to achieve its goal — to win.

If it were that easy, wouldn’t the Chicago Cubs have ended their 107-year MLB championship drought a little sooner than 2016, or every new start-up successfully “disrupt” the market?

The core ingredients of high-performing teams come from a true understanding of how the various parts of the team, or players, interact with each other and the culture at large. Once those moving parts can be aligned and motivated to achieve the team’s goal, performance can be achieved and modified. But certain roadblocks can lead teams astray, so keeping a diagnostic finger on the pulse of the team’s dynamics can be just as critical in achieving success.

Keep reading to learn more about the types of cultures and key habits of high-performing teams and the dynamics of low-performing teams.

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What Isn’t a Team?

The problem with many teams is that they aren’t actually a team. Whether or not it is known to leadership or the team members, many groups have individuals who see each other as competition. They think, “if so and so is doing well, then I’m doing worse.” This is not the kind of attitude that builds a high-performing team. Instead of functioning together to create an interaction that’s more energetic than would result from either individual alone (the true meaning of synergy), these members push and pull in a competitive manner, often mitigating one another’s performance. It’s not the kind of elevating competition you might see in a brotherly manner, but one of more cancerous parts.

When teammates no longer work together to perform, they can lose trust in one another. It can be as simple as not trusting that someone will do their job, which can lead others to overcompensate, which then causes them to lose sight of their position in the group, and the cog begins to unwind towards an unintended and negative result. No synergy, no trust — who’s to blame? Enter leadership.

There are typically a few kinds of leaders in teams. First, there are the team leaders or captains. They have a beat on the pulse of the team and are its beacons of ethics and morals — the culture. Great teams rally behind the valor and sacrifice of captains, and poor teams fall behind the cut corners. Captains truly lead by example, and the team follows. Founding sports editor for the Wall Street Journal, Sam Walker did a deep — a ridiculously deep — dive into the modern history of winning sports teams. He found that a team’s winning streak typically started and ended with the “arrival and departure of one player, and that player in every single case would become the leader or the captain of the team.”

Then there are the team managers or coaches. Team managers are the ones who assemble and manage the players in the team. They set goals, match key members to work together on given tasks, make adjustments, and, most critically they select the captains. A great team manager can inspire the team leads and, in turn, the team. They also can make tactical adjustments to help the team perform when things don’t unfold as planned. As Sun Tzu wrote in The Art of War, “The general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations.”

There are innumerable amount of things that can make your group nonfunctional. So before you go rushing around trying to make incompatible things compatible, make sure that you actually have a team to begin with.

What Is a Team?

A team is, first and foremost, a collection of people trying to achieve a goal by working together. That goal could be to create a new idea, secure a business relationship, sell a product, or, as we see in sports, win a game over the competition. Teammates do not see each other as competition but rather as integral parts of a larger organization that operates with the sole purpose of winning. The culture of that team — along with other key variables like communication and development— dictate their success.

Since the team is actually larger than the sum of its parts — an idea that the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University dubs team intelligence — each cog in the system plays an integral role. While high-performing teams can adjust their internal system to adapt to a broken or missing link, even the smallest of defects in the system can lead to less-than-ideal performance. While this may sound a tad reductionist, if a team truly believes that each role in the system is integral to the overall performance, then the culture of the team becomes one of positivity. Each player buys into their role because they know that when they do their job, the whole team wins.

In a fantasy world, every team member wants to be the star, the person who touches the glory. But in reality, a team of finishers/closers is incomplete. The closer needs a setup person, the setup person needs people to create opportunity, and everyone needs a backbone or defense. Everyone works together but stays in their lane. This idea was perfectly embodied by

Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots NFL dynasty because they built a culture founded on the saying “Do your job.”

Let’s put that into context.

The “Do Your Job” Culture

Say you want to create a team whose goal is to sell more of your product than it did last year. There’s nothing new about the product; you just want to sell more of it. The roster for your team includes the following:

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Team manager

The team manager is the coach. They run the organizational and administrative tasks that run the team. The team manager selects the personnel for the job and sees to it that goals are met and that the team’s system operates in a functional manner.

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Team lead

The team lead is the captain. They work hands-on with the team and not only give direct support but also instill the culture at large of the team. Again, the lead is perhaps the most critical role in the team because high-performing teams have certain cultures and ethics like hard work. If the captain is in the trenches with the other members of the team, they will buy into their individual roles and pull together. Team leads are also the experts in opening lines of communication. They help meld the individual parts of the team into a larger sea of movement. They break up echo chambers to allow the team’s energetic current to flow and work hard to break up any roadblocks that prevent any team or member from doing their job. But they aren’t yes men.

As Walker noted in his research on the winningest teams in sports history (and their leaders), the captains often pushed back and created friction. This style of communication can actually lead to benefits. Allowing the free-flowing of ideas actually embraces the power of diversity. Members can openly state what they see and suggest things to try. When ideas work, they can be added to the playbook — and if it doesn’t work, they can become a learning opportunity. This creates a “Win or learn” mentality, as renowned mixed martial artist coach John Kavanagh penned it.

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Customer support

There’s a saying in sports that good defense wins championships. In a business, the customer support team is the goalie of the team — the backbone of the defense. They handle all of the nitty-gritty aspects of the customer’s journey from seed to sale and of course, feedback. Any major issues with your product will come to light with the CS team. So communication between them and the team lead is paramount.

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Marketers, advertisers, and PR specialists

Marketers, advertisers, and PR specialists are the playmakers and the set-up people. Depending on your product, their actions may result in sales, but that’s not necessarily their sole focus. PR specialists handle press, outreach, and handle the overall reputation of the brand. Good PR can build new relationships, open new doors, build brand trust, and waltz through a crisis. Marketers and advertisers identify the needs of the customer, figure out how to fulfill those needs, run the campaigns, and track the metrics to see how the budget compares to the sales.

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Sellers

The sellers are the finishers, closers, the glory getters. They chase leads and then close them. In the digital world, a seller can also be something as simple as a button in an online store (which is why I mentioned that marketers and advertisers can sell), but the sales team remains a cornerstone of a high-performing team. *Depending on what you sell — for example, software as a service (SAAS) —  the team may also include an account manager.

If this team wants to perform at a high level, everyone needs to do their job. That means individual members finish their tasks, perform those tasks to their highest ability, and trust that each other team member is also doing their job in the same manner. The result creates a true synergy, and the team begins to radiate results that are larger than the sum of the parts. It was not just the star quarterback Tom Brady who won those 6 Super Bowl rings in New England; it was the larger culture of everyone doing their jobs.

High-performing teams also have a few other key habits to keep in mind.

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By The Numbers

A 2021 survey conducted by renowned psychologist Ron Friedman of 1,106 American office workers found several key practices of high-performing teams. Here’s the breakdown:

• Successful teams make a lot of phone calls — about 10 calls per day in comparison to the 6 daily calls made by lesser-performing teams. The numbers show that staying in constant communication is a part of achieving performance in teams.
• Successful teams don’t waste time when they have meetings. In fact, high-performing teams are 39% more likely to have pre-work for meetings, 26% more likely to have an agenda, and 55% more likely to start off with a check-in that gives progress updates. Being efficient enables the team to focus on their goals and not be bothered or burnt out by needless meetings.
• Another thing winning teams do is bond over topics that are not related to work. They are 25% more likely to talk about non-work topics like family or sports — even on the job. They are even more likely to meet up outside of work for coffee or a drink. The camaraderie that comes with knowing a person for more than their work identity is another ingredient for success.
• Finally, high-performing teams are 72% more likely to get frequent appreciation from their colleagues and 79% more likely to receive appreciation from their managers. The workers are also 44% more likely to give appreciation to others.

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Build for the Future

Fortune 500 coach Tugba Yanaz writes in Entrepreneur Magazine that high-performing teams also give individual members the power to make decisions. Enabling people to make their own choices gives them autonomy. When people have the freedom to operate, they can then start to take ownership of their role. The bottom line results in individuals who are invested in their roles and want to succeed at their tasks.

Yanaz also wrote that high-performing teams continue to develop individuals. When I was a reporter on the work-life during the pandemic, I discovered that younger generations — the future of the workforce — wanted more opportunities for mentorship, but they weren’t always available. Research by the late Harvard University professor of Organizational Psychology, J. Richard Hackman, shared by the American Psychological Association, highlights that when competent coaching is available, it can help members get over rough spots and take advantage of emerging opportunities. Opportunities for growth and mentorship are essential ingredients for a great team.

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So You Have a High Performing Team, Now What? Measure It.

A high-performing team is made up of a lot of moving parts. There’s addressing the negative aspects of the culture, finding a common goal, establishing a roster, building the culture, instilling good habits, and providing avenues for future success. Do all of this, and sprinkle in a good bit of luck, and then you might put together a high-performing team.

Once you have what you believe to be a high-performing team, you might wonder what some signs are that it is actually high performing. One way to better understand a team’s ability to perform is to measure resilience levels in individuals and the group. Resilience is the ability to adapt to change.

Here at the Resilience Institute, we’ve developed version 5 of the Resilience Assessment. This tool has been a trusted industry assessment since 2008. You can use it to measure the individual’s and the team’s abilities to perform, in addition to the levels of mental fitness, cognitive skills, emotional intelligence, and well-being.

It only takes 5 minutes for individuals to take the assessment, and the group report is interactive. Use our global benchmarks to identify your team’s needs.

Try our Resilience Assessment.

Everyone Wants to Be on a Winning Team

Outside of diagnostics, another sign of a winning team is that others want to join. Gallup notes that high-performing teams attract talent. Everyone wants to be part of a winning culture. Build it, and they will come. Now you know what you need to build a high-performing team. It’s time to go for it.

In an era marked by unprecedented stress and disengagement, the health of our workplaces is faltering. A startling 85% of employees report not being fully engaged at their jobs, a disquieting statistic that underscores a widespread struggle with motivation and commitment​ (Quixy)​. Moreover, the consequences of this disengagement are not merely emotional but profoundly economic, costing the global economy an estimated $8.8 trillion in lost productivity​ (Spill | Employee mental health support)​.

As businesses grapple with these challenges, the urgency for innovative solutions has never been greater. Enter the Resilience Institute Global’s latest breakthrough—the Resilience Assessment. This tool doesn’t just measure; it transforms, turning the tide on burnout and disengagement by empowering leaders with actionable insights.

Why Resilience?

‍The demands of the modern workplace can be relentless. Stress, burnout, and disengagement are not just buzzwords—they are pressing issues that can derail even the most dynamic businesses. Resilience isn’t just about surviving; it’s about thriving. That’s where our Resilience Assessment comes into play.

What’s New?

The Resilience Assessment has been meticulously redesigned to help leaders easily identify the risks within their team and make practical changes. Let’s explore some of how we help team leaders better measure their team’s Resilience. Let’s explore the cutting-edge features that set it apart:

1. Enhanced Team Reporting and Team Dashboards: Access powerful leadership dashboards that provide insights into key organizational KPIs such as engagement, well-being and resilience and leader-specific resources and recommendations.
2. Simplified Scoring System: We’ve shifted to a percentage-based scoring system, making it easier for individuals and leaders to interpret and act on the results.
3. Leadership Lenses: This feature allows organizational leaders and managers to view resilience metrics from various perspectives—including mental health risks, well-being, engagement, and happiness—providing a holistic view of their teams.
4. Updated Resilience Framework: Drawing on our fifth-generation resilience spiral model, this framework now includes elements such as empathy fatigue, social fitness, nature stewardship and nature-relatedness, reflecting the latest in resilience research.
5. Robust Psychometric Support: The assessment’s reliability and validity are backed by extensive psychometric testing, ensuring that organizations can trust the insights provided.
6. Advanced Web Interface: With privacy by design, our new interface offers seamless access to the assessment, tools and resources via “magic links” — with no username and password required.

Benefits for Your Organization

‍The Resilience Assessment is more than just a diagnostic tool; it’s a strategic asset. Here are some ways it can transform your organization:

• Proactive Problem-Solving: Detect potential issues like burnout before they manifest, allowing for timely interventions.
• Tailored Resources: Based on assessment results, access customized resources from our extensive library to address specific areas of need.
• Leadership Development: Empower your leaders with data-driven insights that foster a supportive and resilient workplace culture.

What People Are Saying:

‍Brad Hook, Partner and Head of Innovation at the Resilience Institute, emphasizes the tool’s strategic benefits: “This tool shifts the focus towards increased accessibility for busy leaders, enabling them to identify and mitigate workforce risks before they become real-world challenges.”

A client from a leading consulting firm shared, “The assessment is incredibly useful with its categories of Bounce, Well-being, and Performance Mindset. The 50 factors it assesses are vital for building a healthy and productive team.”

How to Get Started

‍The Resilience Assessment is set to launch on May 20, 2024. To get a head start, individuals and organizations can apply for demo access. Experience first-hand how this tool can redefine the way you understand and improve your team’s resilience and performance.

Conclusion

As the workplace continues to evolve, so does the need for robust, science-backed tools that can lead to meaningful organizational change. The Resilience Assessment by the Resilience Institute Global represents a significant step forward in our mission to build more resilient organizations worldwide. Whether you’re looking to enhance engagement, reduce turnover, or foster a more supportive workplace, the Resilience Assessment is your partner in achieving these goals.

Try the Resilience Assessment. Let us help you make resilience your organization’s strongest asset.