It is our fitness levels that determine our ability to run a marathon at a fast pace.
If we set off at an unsustainable pace, we eventually fatigue – and there’s a real risk of compromising our ability to finish the event we have trained for.
So, what is it that provides the wisdom to know what is sustainable or healthy?
Resilience is our capacity to recognise that the pace is too fast, to make decisions in the moment, to regulate effort, and to complete the event without burning out or injuring ourselves.
I am often asked by leaders to build programmes that build resilience within their organisations. More often than not, what they are really asking for is increased performance.
Real, sustainable performance gains come from a combination of ‘fitness’ and resilience training.
High performance requires progressive overload – increasing psychological, physiological and behavioural demands so that adaptations take place. This is how learning takes place and capacity is built.
Performance training also requires periodisation: cycles of peak demand, followed by rest, recovery and integration, this allows the human system comes back fitter and ready to go again.
Resilience training, by contrast, is more closely aligned to emotional intelligence. It develops awareness, discernment and regulation. It is a form of performance intelligence.
Returning to the marathon example, awareness begins with the ability to recognise and understand bodily signals. Missing, ignoring or overriding those signals is not a show of strength. If we don’t listen to the body, collapse becomes inevitable.
Awareness combined with discernment allows us to examine the choices we are making. Even recognising we have a choice is a key component of resilience. What is driving us? Are we pushing or forcing because slowing down feels ‘wrong’ or because we fear it may make us look weak?
At a deeper level, resilience adds a layer of wisdom, inviting us to explore where the pressure coming from – is it internal or external? Have we tied our identity and self-worth to speed, output or results? Are we afraid of judgement or punishment if we fail to meet expectations that exceed our current capacity?
Eventually, resilience asks for compassion and courage. Can we give ourselves permission to slow down? Can we resist comparison, tolerate judgement and choose sustainability over exhaustion?
High performance does require hard work, sacrifices and discomfort. But effort alone does not guarantee healthy or sustainable performance environments.
We need the intelligence of resilience to create psychologically informed performance environments that deliver consistent high performance without damaging the human population.
I am advocating for the integration of ‘fitness’ and resilience training – increasing both capacity and regulation at individual and collective levels. If we only focus on capacity the pace becomes unsustainable and people burn out. If we focus only on regulation, performance stagnates. When we commit to both, we get high levels of human performance that are repeatable and sustainable.
Clear view 