When the going gets tough ......
So when the going gets tough we generally try to work harder hoping that this will give us the competitive edge. Even though we often know that this strategy is counter productive, we can struggle to accept it and employ a different strategy. To make a meaningful impact on both individual and organisational goals a more gentle approach may lead to success. In a recent article in Arianna Huffington, CEO of Thrive Global and Peter Cooper who founded Cooper Investors, a $10 billion investment management firm describe their approaches.
Ariana Huffington, believes that performance-at-all-costs mentality isn’t worth it in the long run. She collapsed from exhaustion and fractured her cheekbone, “We founded The Huffington Post in 2005, and two years in we were growing at an incredible pace. I was on the cover of magazines and had been chosen by Time as one of the world’s 100 Most Influential People. But after my fall, I had to ask myself, Was this what success looked like? Was this the life I wanted? I was working eighteen hours a day, seven days a week, trying to build a business, expand our coverage, and bring in investors. But my life, I realized, was out of control.”
Peter Cooper expects his employees to be “In the Moment and Present.” Cooper uses various techniques including meditation, yoga and restorative breathing to help him navigate the pressures of money management. What he find is that these techniques lower his stress and anxiety and increase his ability to focus on what really matters: serving his clients. He said: “Before my meditation practice my internal experience would have been quite different. I would have responded with blame, anger, negativity, and would have been concerned about the client reaction. Instead, my state of mind turned to learning and growing from challenges with minimum stress, and we were able to attract very talented replacement analysts. We were also able to use this circumstance to cement the firm’s foundational values of humility and authenticity.” 3 ways that leaders can stay resilient are to: · Prepare for the Big Moments · Solve the problem before it happens · Show up when it counts want