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By Candace Ristić

New research from Henley Business School shows how the simple human act of looking someone in the eye and letting them know you value their input can have a surprising impact on business success – and the health of employees and leaders alike. 

The word resilience is bandied about a lot and the corporate history books are filled with tales of remarkable resilience by people within teams and organisations. Remember how wine and spirits maker Distell shifted to producing hand sanitiser for vulnerable communities when government regulations suspended alcohol production during the pandemic? How about the “space bubbles” created by New York restaurants to allow them to continue operating while simultaneously addressing patrons’ safety concerns?

The predicament

COVID may be in our rearview mirrors, but the challenges keep coming. As many as 85% of leaders polled in 2023 admitted it was hard to know which issues to tackle first. Three out of four CEOs said their businesses were facing increasing disruption, while 72% thought their executive teams lacked the agility to effectively handle this level of change while navigating an increasingly volatile and ambiguous world.

The issues facing businesses today – from climate change and geopolitical tensions to digital transformation and beyond – demand agility and resilience, the ability to bounce back on the part of business leaders and their teams. This cocktail of conditions compounds the stress on leaders as they try to juggle local disruptions and navigate a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world, and resilience can help ease the pressure.

The defining aspect of any crisis is that it comes quickly, and leaders need to be prepared. But building resilience takes time. Rather like a timid wild animal, resilience requires a psychologically safe environment, a sense of security in the workplace, trust, and the all-important support offered by quality relationships to show itself. Business leaders who want to create organisations that are able to bounce back in the face of challenges and use failure as a learning moment have no choice, therefore, but to focus on creating the conditions to foster resilience and solid relationships.

Other people matter

One of the central tenets of good relationships is showing others that they matter. This applies as much to a mother affirming her child as it does to managers taking the time to get to know each member of their team.

In fact, research into the positive psychology of relationships tells us that feeling noticed, being seen, and being treated with fairness and consideration all play a role in helping people feel like they matter, which builds mental and emotional robustness as well as reduces stress, burnout, depression and anxiety.

In his book Pursuing the Good Life: 100 reflections on Positive Psychology, Dr Christopher Peterson, one of the founders of positive psychology whose work spanned team relationships and healthy workplaces, emphasises that other people matter. Showing others that they are important, he says, leads to longer lifespans, and enhances satisfaction in life, happiness and pleasure. In workplaces, he notes, ‘when leaders treat their employees as if they matter, everyone wins.’

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Reflections for relationships

Off the back of research I conducted in corporate South Africa during the pandemic and beyond, I have noted five helpful reflections for relationships based on five specific behaviours – consistency, fairness, appreciation, care/kindness, and understanding – that, when asked, can help leaders and individuals assess how they are showing up in their relationships, and where there is scope to improve.

First, leaders can ask themselves, in what ways do they uphold a consistent standard of leadership behaviour, ensuring predictability and stability in interactions with others? Second, are they applying fair and unbiased practices in their leadership decisions and actions? Third, are they regularly expressing genuine appreciation for the contributions of those around them, recognising their efforts and achievements? Fourth, how are they understanding the perspectives and needs of those they lead with kindness, fostering a positive and supportive environment? And lastly, in what ways do they empathise with and understand the needs, motivations and challenges of others and themselves?

Time for action

Reflecting on these questions is necessary, but this conversation cannot live only in our heads. It needs to be turned into actions that yield results from which leaders and individuals can learn and determine if they are on the right track. What’s more, these reflections and actions must be done over the long term. Building resilience is no quick-fix solution. 

A case in point is the 2023 Rugby World Cup-winning Springbok team. Even before captain Siya Kolisi and his team took to the field in France, the calibre of this outfit was beyond doubt. The South African team ultimately won the tournament because as individuals and as a unit they demonstrated the elements that underpin the five reflections for relationships questions, namely consistency, fairness, appreciation, care/kindness, and understanding.

Lifting the Webb Ellis Trophy aloft may have enhanced the quality of these relationships, but the hard work and deep questioning took place over years spent creating bonds and building trust, personal resilience, and the capabilities needed to weather crises – and win.

That’s where the magic happens.

 Candace Ristić is a programme director and executive fellow at Henley Business School Africa, executive and developmental coach, facilitator, and Positive Psychology practitioner.

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