In defence of resilience, in spite of myself

Perhaps corporati's current favourite buzzword, I have a hate/love relationship with the concept of resilience.

Or hate/hate/love.

I hate that the concept - that being the ability the deal with stress, to reconcile and rebound from setbacks - or insults - is so needed in modern life. 

I hate the fact that it's so required is spurned a new training category for enthusiastic and entrepreneurial self-help trainers to flog to HR departments.

And I hate the fact that some corporates use 'resilience' as a way of shirking their own responsibility to adequately resource departments, as opposed to overworking and under-resourcing their employees. (For the record, my own organisation doesn't do this. They don't offer resilience training, ha! But aside from that, they are a nice bunch.)

As someone who chooses to work in corporate society, however, I have to be resilient. It's an essential for coping in the modern world. And if you delve deeper, one of the pluses of resilience is that, aside from just helping you get through, it presupposes that we have some control of the way we react and deal with various circumstances. Resilience as a concept is hopeful. It can be empowering in the face of difficulty.

So, as someone feeling stress as a pressure, which sometimes comes in waves that i  can't quite recover from, I have been asking the question of people I admire as to how they build resilience, this is what they say.

1. Exercise, everyday if possible.

Even if it's just the challenge of 10,000 steps.

Or 5 laps.

Or a 60 minute yoga class.

Or weights. 

A seven minute online workout.

Break it down into the smallest you can do, and try to do that - little but often.

(And if you need more inspiration as to the feeling benefits of exercise, watch this: http://www.howfitfeels.fitnessfirst.com.au/#/?_k=x4w6dn)

2. Breathe.

One anger management technique that they teach in prisons (according to the fictional novel I'm reading, Barracuda) is to count backwards from 10 to 1, and with each number, breathing in and out.

I'm a long term, in-and-out yogi, so breath-work should be a doddle for me. Still, I need reminding. 

3. Find humour. 

Try to laugh. If you're serious (like me, I'm getting furrows) find people that make you laugh.

4. Find nature.

Walk in the parks, wildernesses, sea paths that are easy to find in Australia. Search for green. Search for blue.

5. Spend time with things separate to those that cause you stress.

Good friends.  

Loved ones. 

Sometimes you need the safety of old friends.

Sometimes you need the stimulation of new ones.

Even in the worst of it, it's worth trying to distract yourself. Read a novel. Go to the theatre. Go see a band. 

6. Do those things that either calm you or inspire you.

7. Be in your body rather than your mind.

Yoga (again.)

Dance.

Running.

An artistic pursuit with your hands, like sculpture.

Gardening.

8. Medicate.

If the feeling of fighting is overwhelming you into depression or anxiety, reach out to a doctor.  Find one who'll take a holistic view and suggest some of the things above.  But if it's chronic, don't rule out medication.

It might be the leg up to dealing with things with an attitude of, "Meh."

And with that leg up, you can make some changes. 

And this brings me to my final point, one I worked out only with the help of a friend.

Sometimes resilience is not about stepping up, manning up, coping with.

Sometimes resilience is about recognising that you actually are incredibly resilient, it's just that a lot is being asked of you. You are likely stronger than you are giving yourself credit for.

So rather than asking more of yourself, in order to cope, the most resilient thing to do is to say, "Enough, I'm choosing to let go and not take on anymore right now."

As Anthony Robbins (as quoted by the much more relatable Stephanie Dowrick) says, 

"Any time you sincerely want to make a change, the first thing you must do is raise your standards. When people ask me what really changed my life... I tell them that absolutely the most important thing was changing what I demanded of myself. I wrote down all the things I would no longer accept in my life, all the things I would no longer tolerate, and all the things I aspired to becoming."

What will you compromise in order to prioritise another, more important value, or to work towards who you want to be more? After all, most things involve a compromise. 

How do you build resilience? Or at least honour yourself by saying, "No"?

Authenticity... spot the difference

I have been thinking about the concept of authenticity. Particularly, how much does one person's authenticity - their ability to spite the status quo in order to live their own path - inspire others towards action (not only admiration)?

How much is authenticity a 'tactic' that a boss could use to motivate an employee?

And then these two performances came my way in the last 24 hours. Spot the difference between these two.




...David Milliband taking 'the vomit principal' to a whole new, pretty low, patronising and downright boring level.

Compared to the lady above. With her hat and that intellect. And glass of wine (or water, but I like the idea of her opening a crisp white). And fantastic feminism/femininity. And balls - Q&A gets reasonable ratings.

Then Charles Waterstreet's unscripted and wonderfully true-to-self answer. Which so won him dividends in terms of popularity amongst Australia's (slightly-intellectual-Q&A-watching) twitterati. Penny Wong's response, albeit restrained, did a whole lotta good for her personal ranking also.

I am not a psychologist. But my suspicion is that what motivates people, particularly in the relationship between a boss and an employee, is, well, complex. Sometimes it just has to do with pleasing another, and therefore peer pressure, and nothing to do with authenticity at all. But this only works in the short term, and even then, can leave one feeling like they have given more than they have received.

At least over the long term, the way to gain true respect, endearment and loyalty is surely, at least somewhat, by 'living to your own keel' and being authentic.

So a nod to two very different and wonderfully inspiring Authentics...

My religion is very simple.

My religion is kindness.

HH, the Dalai Lama - an angel on this earth.

Debbie Harry. She still does her own make up. She's still cool.

Here's proof.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/castaway/0bddfe9c

Warning on World News Australia

Two news articles appeared back-to-back on SBS World News this evening, which will send a sobering message to executives and boards regarding their supply chains.

Harvey Norman is being accused by environmental group, Market for Change, and political activists, Get Up!, of using non-sustainable, native Australian forests within its furniture manufacture.

This was closely followed by an Al Jazeera story on Bangladeshi production of leather. In the tanneries of Dhaka, leather workers are being exposed to large amounts of chromium, which is carcinogenic at such levels. The element is also being distributed in the water around the villages, which is killing off fish and other organisms that a just decade ago, thrived in these waterways. The leather produced in these villages is exported to western nations to be made into bags and shoes.

The tales highlight how organisations need to take responsibility and control of all components of their products, prior to manufacture. Respected businessman Gerry Harvey was active in defending his company practices, calling himself an environmentalist and suggesting that sometimes native forest wood 'slips through,' alongside that of plantation wood. But his protestations seemed flimsy coming from such a corporate giant. And although Get Up! may not get permission to air an advertisement it has produced on the issue in a bought slot during this week's State of Origin, the Get Up! team will be celebrating the SBS World News coverage this evening.

Corporate communications teams take note. The issue of climate change may not be rousing the same levels of consumer concern as it did just few years ago (see last week's Lowy Institute Poll), but poor sustainability practices, both pre, during and at end-of-life for products, can still provoke reputational damage. Brainstorming with senior management to consider where gaps in organisational practices could be, and where companies may be criticised, is an essential first step. This should lead to more in-depth auditing of procedures, roadmaps for improving practices and the development of issues preparedness plans, to help organisations manage and improve their reputations - via more responsible practices.

Good news week

I came across Gimundo today, a site dedicated to spreading some good news. It might be accused of being a little twee, home-made-apple-pie and all that, nevertheless it's refreshing to have a site out there designed to strengthen the heart muscle through uplifting news and stories. It can join TED, another favourite in my list of internet-trawling regulars, to help me balance out the bad news and bad celebrity that too often makes up our news today - boring.

Nice too that one of the first stories I read was about amazing work being done at Sydney's very own University of NSW. Researchers have found a way of assisting those blinded by corneal damage, by attaching their own stem cells to contact lenses. The stem cells reattach to the cornea and begin the body's own process of repairing them, helping patients to see again. Cool.

Safety over story: well done NY Times

I have been heartened by the news that NY Times reporter, David Rohde, and his interpreter and local Afghani journalist Tahir Ludin, escaped from Taliban captivity with their lives. I'm almost equally heartened by the story of how the NY Times kept the news of the pair's seven-month captivity quiet throughout that time, and somehow managed to persuade other media outlets to do the same.

After all, it's big news when any Westerner is abducted by the Taliban, nevermind a prominent NY Times reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner.

Controversy now reigns as to whether the NY Times and wider media community protected their own in a way they wouldn't have if it had been someone from another profession. Of course, this is a hypothetical and remains to be seen only if it happens.

There are doubtless numerous sensitive details of the abduction that we will never know. Be this as it may, I am heartened that NY Times chose to put the safety of these gentlemen over the story.

It gives the paper, and its quiet cohorts, credibility. They put the human being first. They have integrity.

After all, there was probably minimal benefit in the rest of the world knowing about the life-threatening position of these men, aside from feeding our Big Brother curiosity about the difficulties and drama in the lives of others, or warning us away from travel in Afghanistan. Which anyone with half a brain will know already.

The most recent Edelman Trust Barometer found that throughout the world, we don't trust the media. As an example, there is a legitimate question about how much the media contributed to the recent downturn in the world economy, by perpetuating the bad news and prompting consumers to close their wallets. More on that later.

Clearly the media needs to polish its trust-credentials. This story gives me, at least, the faith that there are some human beings in the media fraternity that will not just go for the story, or the jugular, above all else. Well done NY Times.

News Ltd gets the green ink

I went to a cracking lecture last night put on by the Public Relations Institute of Australia, featuring the environment and climate change manager at News Ltd, Dr Tony Wilkins, and sustainability communications expert and Clean Up Australia co-founder, Ms Kim McKay.

The lecture was entitled ‘The Issue of our Times’ and looked at the how and why of developing communication strategies to bring about environmental behavioural change.

Both speakers were excellent but the News Ltd speech was particularly heartening, because, if the knowledge, enthusiasm and genuine do-goodedness of Dr Wilkins was a reflection of the rest of the company, News Ltd certainly has an intention to change the environmental practices of a broad community – inside and outside the company.

As Peter Chernin, News Ltd President and COO said in a video shown by Dr Wilkins: “As a media company we are in a unique position, which is that we not only have the ability to affect our own actions but we also have the ability to set an example and the ability to affect the actions of millions of people everyday.”

The catholic-proportioned News Ltd family of news publications and programmes reach more than a billion people everyday. Phew.

News Ltd's overall objectives include: to clean up its own act, to work with suppliers and partners to encourage them to do the same, and to inspire others to reduce their own carbon footprint. Dr Wilkins’ words were: “Knowledge has to be spread. Engagement needs to happen. That’s our (News Ltd’s) job.”

It’s the job of us marketers too. From the pen of WPP’s chairman, Sir Martin Sorrell in the most recent WPP Corporate Responsibility report: “If the marketing industry has been unwittingly complicit in causing the problem, it’s now confronted with an historic opportunity: to shape and encourage consumer demand for sustainable products and lifestyles; to restore the true value of durability; to reject the superfluous in products and packaging; to make much of what has passed for fashion deeply unfashionable.”

Here here, Sir Martin. Here here, News Ltd.

If you're quick you can catch Dr Wilkins tomorrow at the Climate Change Summit in Sydney, which I can’t go along to, bummer. But I encourage anyone who is interested in sustainability within business to investigate what News Ltd is doing and why. Plus there is some interesting news, tidbits and an apparently award winning carbon calculator available on the 1 Degree portal.

By the way, one News Ltd company has profited from these initiatives is BSkyB. It was recently ranked second in a survey of 1,500 Brits as to to green reputation of the FTSE 100 companies.

Communications executive extraordinaire Matthew Anderson is James Packer's right hand man at BSkyB. He used to be the head of Ogilvy PR in Asia Pacific, my old employer, incidentally.

So the next time I am faced with the question as to whether corporate responsibility is a fad, I'm going to cite News Ltd and Matthew Anderson and Sir Martin Sorrell as examples.

We're not saving the world here

You only have to look around at the number of people in World Youth Day in Sydney this week (apparently 140,000 yesterday) to recognise how many of us are seeking meaning and community in our lives.

I was reading an article on happiness yesterday, which got me wondering as to how most people find meaning in the work they do. But if you're not working for Médecins Sans Frontières or the WWF, but just a corporate Joe/Jane, how do you derive personal meaning from your job? Particularly if you aren't financially supporting a family?

If you studied Mr Maslow like me then you know too that after money comes meaning.

Just as more and more consumers these days are demanding values as well as value (thank you, Kat Thomas), once we’ve paid our bills more and more of us are looking for meaning in our work lives. And if you offer it to employees, it’s a great way that you can retain them – beyond money – and win out in the ‘war for talent’.

I once asked a friend of mine who runs his own consultancy as to what difference his job makes. He said: ‘I support 20 families through the organisation I run.” Rather than being about how his advice and assistance saves or makes money for other companies, his response about how he makes a difference was much more personal, much more human and much more direct.

So how do companies do it? Well, Ogilvy PR, an old employer of mine, has a program called ‘So Inspired’ whereby they offer employees and extra day of leave to go our and help in a charity or community project. An internal committee seeks out projects for employees to work on collectively, or you can nominate your own project and go it alone. The last year I worked with them we helped clean up the grounds at a women’s shelter. Ogilvy also has an ‘employee value proposition’, based around the somewhat nebulous mission of ‘helping employees be the best they can be’ through the values of ‘learn and grow, ‘partnership and ‘one step ahead’.

Of course, most of us are looking for meaning more than one day a year. I know I took meaning by the difference I could make to more junior staff, in helping them learn and in helping them enjoy their job. Again, my experience of what was meaningful was much more direct.

My belief is money can be a brilliant thing in how it can help people learn, expand their horizons and help others. Bill Gates is an example of someone who is doing amazing, altruistic things with his cash. On a smaller level, my trip last year to northern Asia allowed me to see first hand how others much less fortunate than myself live, and I think (I hope!) it made me more empathetic, worldly and generous. I also had the time of my life (read: meaning.)

If you want to keep people in their job, particularly younger, single, non-loyal Gen Y workers in this skills-short economy, you need to offer more than money. You need to offer people the ability to make a difference in some way – and usually to another human being. You also need to provide individual recognition for their efforts. You also need to provide people with the wider big picture as to how what they do is beneficial, be it in a creative or never-been-done-before way.

Has anyone got any other suggestions on how else this can be done? How you do find meaning in your work day?

Now after writing all of the above, I've just googled it. And of course someone from the Beeb has already written on it. If you are interested in this topic, it might prove, well, meaningful.