Being resilient or antifragile?
“ In the face of the world’s complexity, being resilient is no longer enough; it’s about coming back better and stronger—in short, being antifragile.”
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
We are living in a unique time where we are completely shaken, losing our bearings. We have become more anxious, managing businesses that are either slowing down or, on the contrary, accelerating rapidly. We often find ourselves overwhelmed by strong emotions, struggling to understand and accept the situation. We may have lost trust in our leaders or politicians. In short, it’s difficult and complicated. Here are some key points to implement to better navigate this situation.
Take care
Taking care of yourself, your family, your loved ones, and everyone who matters—including, of course, your clients and teams—is crucial today. It is a wonderful opportunity to better understand ourselves, learn, strengthen our connections, and find new ways to care for ourselves and others. Starting a video call with “How are you?” and listening attentively is the minimum to do right now.
It also means listening to our own needs, our body, our mind, and our emotions. Let’s become kind to ourselves and respect our first tool: our body. Be mindful of taking breaks, breathing, and moments of calm, because for many of us, we are more productive working remotely than in the office.
Strengthen our emotional intelligence
This crisis is a great opportunity to identify our emotions and establish rituals to care for them. An effective way to release anger is to exercise more, scream in the shower, or “do some chainsawing” if you have a garden (I love it right now!) or simply engage in gardening.
It’s interesting to note that we are experiencing precisely the emotions described in change curve models. After a denial phase dominated by fear, we have entered resistance or bargaining, where the main emotion is anger: who hasn’t seen a social media post denouncing the state scandal over chloroquine or mask shortages? The next stage will be breakdown, with sadness and therefore the need for connection.
Naming and sharing our emotions helps us process them better. You could, for instance, spend time with loved ones or colleagues using a “personal emotional weather” ritual. Each person speaks in turn, verbalizing their experiences and emotions without interruption, giving time to structure their thoughts. This is a wonderful listening exercise I highly recommend!
Resilient or Antifragile?
Being antifragile means that disruptions strengthen the system instead of weakening it. This is the principle Nassim Nicholas Taleb develops in his book Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder. Today more than ever, we need to adapt and invent new ways of operating, both professionally and personally, and find a new balance between the two.
Taleb describes three types of individuals/organizations/systems/ideas:
Fragile: harmed by unexpected events
Robust: indifferent to unexpected events
Antifragile: benefits from unexpected events
“To become antifragile, it’s better to be small and agile to maintain flexibility during chaotic and volatile times.”
Strengthen our rituals and discipline
Whether in sports, reading, meditation, or writing, our rituals shape us. Many clients who “couldn’t exercise” before lockdown found treadmills or stationary bikes in their basements. They are now doing 30 minutes of exercise daily, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they continue well beyond lockdown.
Perhaps you overindulged during confinement, drinking more, eating poorly, or working excessively. I suggest setting new rules, such as alcohol-free days or screen-free/work-free periods.
Inject surprise and positive stress into life
Take cold showers, exercise, lift slightly heavier weights, run instead of cycling… Find ways to bring the unexpected into your routine! For my part, I replaced some yoga sessions with push-ups and weight lifting to strengthen my shoulders. Exploring new territories, discovering new artists, and trying new games is essential now.
Learn about yourself by observing your behavior
This period is rich for self-discovery: what comes easily, what triggers anger, whom we admire. Observe your sources of anxiety—it’s easy to create busywork to calm anxiety, a pattern many overworked leaders exemplify. One client told me his CEO, unable to travel, overcompensated by requesting reports on everything, adding workload at the expense of focusing on reorganizing teams to serve clients better.
Add redundancy in life
Plan free time to account for unforeseen events. Give yourself time to reflect and prioritize eliminating factors that drain you, like bad habits or energy-draining people.
Keep your options open
Improve your skills, train, get coaching! This historic moment allows us to reflect on what we really want, how, and at what cost. Identify cognitive biases that distort decision-making under stress. Olivier Sibony’s videos are useful to spot them. For the less mathematically inclined, the “exponential bias” is worth considering. I’ve noticed strong insurance and in-group biases in myself, perhaps due to my high self-confidence.
Simply put: do I allow myself to change my mind based on circumstances, to question myself, and thus strengthen my humility in the face of this unprecedented and unpredictable crisis?
Prepare for life after lockdown
After Zoom happy hours and other online gatherings, it’s time to create spaces for reflection with family or loved ones. If you had no decisions to make during lockdown, it was because the government decided for you. Now, everyone must make choices and take responsibility: should you send your children to school? Travel by bike, public transport, or car? Where to go on vacation this summer?
Some ideas to gain clarity in your post-lockdown life:
Create or update your “life tree”
Make a collage of your future life
Reflect on what you want to retain from this period
Note the direction you want to take in your personal and professional life
Identify what must be integrated into your new life
For me, I’ve decided to spend several consecutive four-week periods each year at home in Provence, working entirely remotely.
Strengthen security and wonder
Boost inner security and confidence in yourself, your political leaders, and those in your company or sector. Decisions may not always be perfect in hindsight, but we live in a country with a solid healthcare system and competent governance. Appreciate the support provided by the state, companies, and individuals, whether financial or logistical (mask and ventilator production).
Implement gratitude rituals with your teams, recognize excellence, give positive feedback, and revisit skill assessments. Ensure your foundations are solid. Perhaps you’re identifying weaknesses in your business or operating model—this is the time to find new clients or more resilient business opportunities.
Innovate more and faster
Develop your business online, make your organization more agile. COVID is the ultimate Chief Digital Officer, accelerating transformations by years. My professional organization was already 100% cloud-based with all teams remote, ensuring smooth operations. With experience in financial markets, where client interaction is mostly by phone, adapting to remote constraints was easy.
The biggest challenge was convincing clients that digital co-development or coaching sessions (individual or collective) could be highly effective and supportive during uncertainty. Digitalizing in-person programs required innovation, self-reflection, and onboarding reluctant decision-makers—an exciting and enriching experience!
And You? How are you navigating this period, and how are you preparing for what comes next? What two decisions will you implement to prepare for life after lockdown?
Companies must reinvent themselves now more than ever and prepare for tomorrow. Transforming organizations requires transforming people, equipping them with new key skills and postures. What are yours?
#coaching #reinventing #lifetree #leadership #management