Live to fight another day.
Theresa May; a lesson in resilience.
I recently came across an article by Diane L. Cotu “How resilience works” and I couldn't help thinking of the British PM. Theresa May might not be everybody’s cup of tea and she doesn’t seem to display many leadership qualities. One thing is sure though: she seems to survive anything that is thrown at her. True, she hasn't much competition. Who would want her job now anyway. But how can she go through embarrassing moments, votes of no confidence and back stabbing without flinching? Here where Cotu's article comes in. Cotu argues that although some people are born resilient, resilience is something that can be learned. Resilient people (and companies) according to Cotu possess 3 characteristics : “a staunch acceptance of reality; a deep belief, often buttressed by strong held values, that life is meaningful and an uncanny ability to improvise”. So what does this mean? In order to build resilience it is necessary to face down to reality and not pretending or hoping that things will get better. At the same time it is necessary instead of crying “why me?” to have or to create a sense of purpose, giving value to the experience and being able to see the hardship as part of the journey of life. Finally being inventive and think out of the box. Chances are that we learn something more and new doors open for ourselves, unexpectedly. Sounds like Theresa May? You bet. She might not be your cup of tea but she is a defiantly tough old bird.