Time is finite, energy is renewable

In the PwC Leadership Development Programme we explored ‘Resilience’ and the concept of “Don’t be a boiling frog” with our future leaders in Yorkshire & North East. 

The pressures of work and life can creep up on us all and start to impact how we feel and ultimately how we perform. A challenge many face is the ability of being conscious of this and taking steps to avoid becoming overwhelmed, or even stressed, is a very important habit to cultivate. Simply put another way, how can we help ourselves be more resilient. 

The analogy of a frog comes in here – if a frog is placed in danger it is aware and saves itself but if you slowly increase the pressure on a frog it simply accepts it: https://youtu.be/K7_3Wmet9IQ

So what does ‘being resilient’ mean? It means different things to different people, for me the ability to bounce back from setbacks and managing the competing priorities in everyday life spring to mind. 

Research shows that by consciously building our energy we can become more resilient – but energy is not simply about sleep and eating a balanced diet. It is broken down into five energy aspects:

• Physical: The most common. How many of us get the minimum required sleep each night? Are you having regular breaks to renew your energy levels during the day but also are you undertaking regular physical exercise. 
• Mental: The focus we need. Are we minimise interruptions in our day? Multi-tasking tends to mean inefficiency as no clear focus. The ability of our mind to focus and prioritise can be enhanced by mindfulness training. 
• Spiritual: Understanding our core values – what matters most – “what is the big picture for what I’m doing here and how does it fuel what I want out of life?”
• Social: Strong, deep relationships are supportive, encouraging and meaningful; broader more ‘superficial’ relationships give you a sense of connectedness & being valued through your position in the group.
• Emotional: Choosing a mind-set – realistic optimism, so not denying facts of situation but telling self most positive and empowering story about it.  

There is a broad range of ways we recharge our energy which improves our resilience and there is no one size fits all. A true test of leadership is the ability to master building your own resilience to support the team you create around you and to manage the day to day challenges that you may face.