How traditional knowledge and cutting-edge research can complement one another to better understand and deal with life's challenges has long piqued my interest. Their spiritual rituals, strong bonds to community, and reliance on nature have enabled the Sioux, San (Bushmen), and Aboriginal peoples to persevere despite tremendous adversity, and this is what captivates me about their cultures. Their strength extended beyond the physical to encompass the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of their lives, which struck a chord with my own path. Similarly, the Stoics' capacity to remain rational and focused in the face of overwhelming adversity has long fascinated me. Their lessons on self-discipline, emotional intelligence, and coexistence with the natural world have shaped my perspective on leadership and development.
Also, the PR6 framework by Driven is where my interest in contemporary resilience stems from. This framework divides resilience into six practical domains: health, vision, reasoning, tenacity, and collaboration. When it comes to learning how to strengthen our human resilience in a quantifiable and realistic way, I think this framework is crucial. The conviction that genuine personal growth requires a comprehensive approach is the foundation of my quest to bridge the gap between these traditional and contemporary methods of resilience. It needs to connect the spiritual with the scientific, the individual with the community, and draw on both the past and the present for its lessons.
The foundation of resilience is vision. It encourages us to press on, even when things are tough. When I deal with leaders, I stress the importance of vision as a group effort rather than a solo one. The Sioux and other Native American traditions reflect this concept, as they teach that leaders should go on "vision quests" to find a higher purpose. The importance of having a purpose in resilience has been well-documented. Being well-rounded and emotionally resilient, particularly when faced with adversity, is associated with having a clear sense of purpose, according to research by Hill et al. (2016). Leaders foster an atmosphere where stress propels progress rather than impedes it when they build a distinct, shared vision. This reminds me of what the Sioux taught me: that as leaders, we need to ask ourselves, "What is the greater purpose that motivates us to act, and how does it benefit the community and the environment in which we live?"
Maintaining Calm in an Unpredictable Environment Keeping one's emotional bearings while pressured is the focus of the second domain, composure. Indigenous peoples, especially the San and the Aboriginals, have a profound connection to nature, which helps them stay calm, which is something I really respect about their culture. Nature serves as a guide and a teacher in their universe. They are able to maintain composure in the face of adversity because of the rituals and routines they have established. The capacity to maintain composure under pressure is an essential leadership quality in the modern world. One scientific method that I teach executives to assess and control their stress levels is heart rate variability (HRV). Because it measures the body's adaptability to stress, research has linked increased HRV with increased resilience (Thayer et al., 2012). Like indigenous peoples' rituals, leaders can improve their capacity to maintain composure under pressure by combining breathing exercises and meditation. A similar view is offered by Stoicism, which reminds us that although we may not be able to control outside forces, we do have influence over how we react to them. Epictetus, a Stoic philosopher, said that we should ignore worldly concerns and work on improving ourselves instead.
Thinking: Making Reasonable Decisions Under Pressure The value of reasoning—of making deliberate, introspective choices despite the presence of ambiguity—is central to my work. People from indigenous communities, like the San and the Aboriginals, tend to ponder about the bigger picture and how their choices will affect generations to come. This is in line with what is known as the 7th Generation Principle among Native American tribes. This principle stresses the need of considering the welfare of future generations while making decisions. Reasoning in the context of contemporary leadership is all about developing cognitive flexibility, or the capacity to think creatively and critically even when faced with challenging situations. Genet and Siemer (2011) found that people with more cognitive flexibility were better able to handle stress and solve problems. Rather than acting on impulsive, short-sighted ideas, leaders must ask themselves, "How can we make decisions that reflect long-term values?" Marcus Aurelius, a Stoic, stressed the need of "Reason well, distinguish clearly, and think deeply."
In order to face the complicated problems of today, leaders must have the ability to reflect. Perseverance in the Face of Difficult Conditions What I've learned about tenacity—the capacity to keep going even when things get tough—from my own experiences and the stories of people I've worked with. One example is the incredible perseverance shown by the San (Bushmen) in their age-old hunting methods. Perseverance is the key, as the Sioux demonstrated in their ability to overcome colonization and other hardships. Perseverance plays an important part in resilience, according to research. Grit is a concept that was coined by Duckworth et al. (2007) to define the combination of passion and perseverance for long-term goals. Evidence suggests that grit is a significant factor in determining resilience and success, particularly in positions of leadership. My leadership development curriculum stresses the need of leaders learning to persevere in the face of hardship. Like Seneca said, "Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body." This was also stressed by the Stoics. Being tenacious means you're willing to face obstacles head-on and see them as learning opportunities.
Building Resilience via Social Interactions Strengthening one's resilience takes a community effort and the encouragement of others. Aboriginal and Sioux traditions, among others, stress the importance of community strength. Cooperation and mutual aid are crucial to the continued existence of these indigenous communities. Aboriginal peoples' kinship structures help to cultivate the close-knit communities that are crucial to their survival. When it comes to leadership, teamwork is essential for creating strong units. It is important for leaders to create communities where people know they can depend on one another when things are tough, since social support is a known resilience element (Ozbay et al., 2007). One way to protect yourself from the harmful impacts of stress is to build strong social networks inside your workplace.
Staying Healthy: The Bedrock of Resilience The most important thing is to have a holistic approach to health since it is the bedrock of resilience. The interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit is a profound truth that indigenous communities have long recognized. Spiritual activities are an integral aspect of everyday life for the San and Aboriginal people, and physical well-being is linked to their relationship with the natural world. Both mental and physical well-being are essential for resilience, according to recent studies. Southwick et al. (2015) found that people who regularly exercise, eat healthily, and practice mindfulness had better resilience and were better able to manage stress. Epictetus, a Stoic, voiced a similar sentiment when he said, "No man is free who is not master of himself." This highlights the significance of self-care for Stoics.
Resilience as a Comprehensive Leadership Trait To me, building resilience as a leader is about nourishing all parts of one's being: head, heart, soul, and guts. Stoic philosophy and indigenous wisdom offer a solid groundwork for this method, which emphasizes that resilience is about more than simply overcoming obstacles; it's about being stronger as a result of adversity. The ancient stories of the Sioux, the San, the Aboriginals, and the Stoics can teach us a lot as we face the challenges of contemporary leadership. Their lessons serve as a reminder that resilience is a process that involves the environment, one's spirituality, and one's community. We may cultivate leaders who are resilient and transformative by combining traditional wisdom with modern scientific approaches such as heart rate variability (HRV), cognitive flexibility (CF), and emotional regulation (ER).
- Duckworth, A. L., et al. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087-1101.
- Genet, J. J., & Siemer, M. (2011). Flexible Control in Processing Affective and Non-affective Material Predicts Individual Differences in Resilience. Cognition & Emotion, 25(2), 380-388.
- Hill, P. L., et al. (2016). Purpose in Life and Positive Health Outcomes Among Older Adults: Longitudinal Findings from the Health and Retirement Study. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 39, 753-764.
- Ozbay, F., et al. (2007). Social Support and Resilience to Stress: From Neurobiology to Clinical Practice. Psychiatry (Edgmont), 4(5), 35-40.
- Southwick, S. M., et al. (2015). Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life's Greatest Challenges. Cambridge University Press.
- Thayer, J. F., et al. (2012). Heart Rate Variability and Neurovisceral Integration in Naturalistic Settings: The Case of Working Women. Frontiers in Physiology, 3, 24