Resilience Building For Efficiency

In 2008, Michael Phelps won Olympic GOLD - completely blind. The moment he dove in, his goggles filled with water. But he kept swimming. Most swimmers would’ve fallen apart. Phelps didn’t - because he had trained for chaos, hundreds of times. His coach, Bob Bowman, would break his goggles, remove clocks, exhaust him deliberately. Why? Because when you train under stress, performance becomes instinct. Psychologists call this stress inoculation. When you expose yourself to small, manageable stress: - Your amygdala (fear centre) becomes less reactive. - Your prefrontal cortex (logic centre) stays calmer under pressure. Phelps had rehearsed swimming blind so often that it felt normal. He knew the stroke count. He hit the wall without seeing it. And won GOLD by 0.01 seconds. The same science is why: - Navy SEALs tie their hands and practice underwater survival. - Astronauts simulate system failures in zero gravity. - Emergency responders train inside burning buildings. And you can build it too. Here’s how: ✅ Expose yourself to small discomforts. Take cold showers. Wake up 30 minutes earlier. Speak up in meetings. The goal is to build confidence that you can handle hard things. ✅ Use quick stress resets. Try cyclic sighing: Inhale deeply through your nose. Take a second small inhale. Exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeat 3-5 times to calm your system fast. ✅ Strengthen emotional endurance. Instead of avoiding difficult conversations, hard tasks, or feedback - lean into them. Facing small emotional challenges trains you for bigger ones later. ✅ Celebrate small victories. Every time you stay calm, adapt, or keep going under pressure - recognise it. These tiny wins are building your mental "muscle memory" for resilience. As a new parent, I know my son Krish will face his own "goggles-filled-with-water" moments someday. So the best I can do is model resilience myself. Because resilience isn’t gifted - it’s trained. And when you train your brain for chaos, you can survive anything. So I hope you do the same. If this made you pause, feel free to repost and share the thought. #healthandwellness #mentalhealth #stress

If your automation stopped working tomorrow, how long could your business continue operating before your customers felt it? We’ve seen it: ■ Retailers frozen at checkout because POS systems failed. ■ Airlines grounded when scheduling tools crashed. ■ Banks paralyzed by cyberattacks. Automation, AI, data platforms, and cloud-based ecosystems have unlocked new opportunities for efficiency, personalization, and growth. But the more we integrate, the more dependent we become. What happens when a critical platform fails? Can your business still serve its customers if automation were to freeze for just a few hours? Or would a simple disruption cascade into a complete shutdown? Digital transformation shouldn’t mean digital fragility. I believe that technology should empower us, not hold us hostage. Here are some strategies to ensure your business stays resilient in a digital-first world: 1. Map your critical dependencies: Understand which platforms, tools, and systems are essential for serving customers. Identify single points of failure and create alternatives before issues arise. 2. Build manual backups: Train teams to handle key operations without full reliance on automation. This ensures continuity when systems fail or platforms go offline. 3. Stress-test your systems: Simulate platform outages or data disruptions to evaluate response times, identify weaknesses, and prepare contingency plans. 4. Invest in cybersecurity & redundancy: As businesses grow digitally, so do risks. Prioritize secure infrastructure, cloud backups, and fail-safe mechanisms to minimize disruption. 5. Empower people, not just platforms: Technology should enhance human capability, not replace it. By upskilling teams, companies ensure employees can step in when automation halts. As tech leaders, we need to rethink risk management, stress-test operations, and ensure customer experience doesn’t collapse when the tech stack hiccups. #Automation #AI #Data #Tech

Leaders with a digital mindset prioritize empowering their teams to leverage technology effectively, understanding that digital progress requires a culture of trust, resilience, and openness to experimentation. One powerful way to build this culture is by encouraging teams to learn from failures. Establishing a learning agenda—where individuals can explicitly showcase how they’ve grown from their setbacks—transforms failed experiments into valuable learning opportunities. By framing these efforts not simply as solutions to specific challenges, but as chances to gain deeper insights, leaders foster an environment of continuous improvement. This approach cultivates the trust and willingness to take risks that are essential to developing a digital mindset, where experimentation is embraced as a pathway to innovation. In this way, empowered teams become the engine driving forward-thinking and adaptability, key to thriving in a digital-first world. #Technology #Empower #Leaders #Leadership #Growth

In high-stakes interviews, knowledge is useless if you can’t access it under pressure. You know that moment.. Your brain goes blank. Your palms sweat. And instead of solving, you start surviving. But here’s the truth → Problem-solving under stress is not a “talent.” It’s a trainable skill. And the candidates I coach who master it often walk out with multiple job offers. Let me break it down with no-fluff, expert-backed techniques that actually work: 1️⃣ Rewire Your Stress Response with the 4-7-8 Reset When your nervous system panics, your prefrontal cortex (the problem-solving part of your brain) shuts down. Before answering, use the 4-7-8 breathing method: Inhale for 4 sec Hold for 7 sec Exhale for 8 sec This activates the parasympathetic system → instantly reduces cortisol and gives you back cognitive control. 2️⃣ Switch from “Answering” to “Framing” Research from Harvard Business Review shows that candidates who frame the problem out loud sound more confident and buy time to think. Instead of jumping straight in, say: “Let me structure my approach — first I’ll identify the constraints, then I’ll evaluate possible solutions, and finally I’ll recommend the most practical one.” This shows clarity under stress, even before the solution lands. 3️⃣ Use the MECE Method (Consulting’s Secret Weapon) Top consulting firms like McKinsey train candidates to solve under pressure using MECE → Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive. Break the problem into 2–3 distinct, non-overlapping buckets. Example: If asked how to improve a delivery app → Think in “User Experience,” “Logistics,” and “Revenue Streams.” This keeps you structured and avoids rambling. 4️⃣ Apply the 30-70 Rule Neuroscience research shows stress reduces working memory. So don’t aim for perfection. Spend 30% of time defining the problem clearly and 70% generating practical solutions. Most candidates flip this and over-explain, which backfires. 5️⃣ Rehearse with Deliberate Discomfort Candidates who only practice “easy” questions crash in high-pressure moments. I make my students solve case studies with distractions, timers, or sudden curveballs. Why? Because your brain learns to adapt under chaos and that resilience shows in interviews. 👉 Remember: Interviewers aren’t hunting for perfect answers. They’re hunting for calm thinkers. The ones who don’t crumble under the weight of uncertainty. That’s how my students at Google, Deloitte, and Amazon got noticed → not by being geniuses, but by staying structured under stress. Would you like me to share a step-by-step mock interview framework for practicing these techniques? Comment “Framework” and I’ll drop it in my next post. #interviewtips #careerdevelopment #problemsolving #dreamjob #interviewcoach

Ever felt your mind go completely blank right when it mattered the most? You’ve prepared, practiced, and yet—under pressure—you freeze. During a recent training session, a participant vulnerably shared: “In high-stakes moments—tight deadlines, crisis meetings—I just go numb. I forget what I had to say or do. And every failed attempt makes the next one harder.” Sounds familiar? Staying calm under pressure is not a natural skill—it’s a learned one. Here are 6 quick strategies I shared that can help break this cycle: ✅ Breathe before you act – Slow, deep breaths signal your brain to stay calm. ✅ Anchor yourself – A small gesture (like touching your thumb and index finger) can become a calming ritual. ✅ Practice with distractions – Train yourself in noisy or time-bound situations to build real-time focus. ✅ Reframe the situation – Instead of "I have to deliver", say "I get to express myself". ✅ Visualize success – Picture yourself handling the situation calmly and confidently. ✅ Be mindful, not mind full – Just being present in the moment can help cut out panic and past baggage. Remember: the goal is not to avoid pressure, but to build your muscle to stay composed within it. What helps you stay grounded when pressure peaks? #EmotionalResilience #CalmUnderPressure #CorporateTraining

While building a leadership program for a client, I noticed a recurring pattern: Leaders don’t break down under pressure because of bad strategy. They break down because they lose perspective when emotions in their team run high. That’s where 🧠 Mentalization comes in - an ability to hold your own thoughts and someone else’s at the same time. It’s a skill that helps us reflect rather than react, especially when we feel misunderstood, disappointed, or challenged. 📌 And neuroscience supports this: Studies (Lieberman et al., 2007) show that mentalizing activates the medial prefrontal cortex - the part of the brain responsible for emotional regulation and social understanding. It calms the amygdala and reduces threat responses. Which means: better decisions, clearer communication, and more psychological safety. But here’s the problem: 🚩 Most leadership programs still teach how to lead teams, but not how to stay mentally present when your team triggers you. That’s why in my method I use with clients, we train this skill explicitly. - We normalize the mental fog that hits during high-stakes conversations. - We learn how to pause before interpreting, and respond without defensiveness. -We build micro-practices. This is essential because when a leader loses the capacity to mentalize, they lose the room. When they keep it, they unlock team trust, psychological safety, and innovation. P.S.: What helps you stay mentally grounded when team disagreement feels personal?

Hospitals are supposed to heal the sick. So, how do we explain the thousands of Americans harmed in hospitals every year when patients are given the wrong medication? This isn’t an issue of malice or incompetence. Rather, this problem is frequently caused by interruptions. Studies found nurses experienced 5-10 interruptions each time they dispensed medication. These distractions led to errors, costing lives and billions in extra medical expenses. But it's not just healthcare facing this problem. In every workplace, interruptions chip away at our focus and productivity. They're the silent killer of quality work. So, how can we protect our focus time? At one hospital, nurses started wearing bright vests during medication rounds, signaling "Do not disturb." The result? A 47% drop in errors. While I'm not advocating for work vests, we can all benefit from clear "do not disturb" signals. Whether it's a simple sign on your monitor, a concentration crown, or scheduled focus time on your calendar, find what works for you. For more insights into building an Indistractable workplace, subscribe to my free newsletter (link in bio)!

In light of recent events, business leaders are recognizing the need to improve their visibility into the complex dependencies of their IT systems to better preserve operational resilience following any functional disruption. At KPMG US, we’re helping our clients leverage advanced digital solutions, implement ongoing risk monitoring, and prepare effective response plans in case of incidents. My colleagues compiled a useful list of recommendations business leaders should consider as they look to accelerate recovery times, reduce the impact of incidents on employees, customers, and partners, and structure their recovery plans to prevent exposure. These recommendations can be especially valuable to the c-suite leaders responsible for maintaining business continuity and sustaining enterprise-wide operational resilience. https://lnkd.in/eXJZ_gbs #KPMGConsulting #KPMGAdvisory #OperationalResilience #CIO #CFO #COO #CISO

A few years ago, after a major project failed at Vavo Digital | Influencer Marketing, I questioned everything. But then I came across the story of basketball player Kobe Bryant, and it completely changed how I approach setbacks. In his 1st year, Kobe Bryant faced a make-or-break moment. His team was in the playoffs, and in the final minute, he had three shots to win the game. He missed. All. Three. Imagine the pressure, the disappointment. The commentators were shocked. They saw Kobe sitting on the bench, head in his hands, and assumed he was devastated. But here's where it gets interesting. When asked about his emotions after the game, Kobe's response was unexpected: "What's feeling got to do with it? I was working out why I missed those shots, and I now know why I missed those shots, and I can do something about it." The Takeaway: It's not about avoiding setbacks; it's about how we respond to them. So, next time you face a setback in your career or business: 1. Acknowledge the emotion, but don't dwell on it. 2. Ask yourself: "What can I learn from this?" 3. Identify specific actions to improve. 4. Move forward with newfound knowledge. Every "failure" is just feedback if you choose to see it that way. It's not about never missing; it's about always learning. What's your go-to strategy for bouncing back from setbacks? #resilience #businesslessons

Memoirs of a Gully Boys Episode 37: #EmotionalIntelligence – The Key to Meaningful Leadership Leadership isn’t just about strategy and execution; it’s about understanding, connecting with, and inspiring people. Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to recognize and manage not only your emotions but also those of others. Over the years, I’ve learned that while technical skills can get you started, it’s emotional intelligence that keeps you ahead. Leading with Empathy During a critical system overhaul, one of my most skilled team members began missing deadlines and appearing disengaged. Instead of reprimanding him, I called for a private conversation. It turned out he was struggling with a personal issue that was affecting his focus. Rather than pushing harder, I offered him flexibility and reassigned some tasks to lighten his load. Within weeks, his performance rebounded, and his gratitude translated into renewed dedication to the project. Lesson 1: Empathy isn’t a weakness in leadership—it’s the strength that builds loyalty and trust. The Art of Active Listening In a client negotiation years ago, tensions were high due to differing expectations. The meeting began with both sides defensive and unwilling to compromise. Instead of countering every point, I focused on actively listening to their concerns without interrupting. Once they felt heard, their stance softened, and we found common ground to move forward. That day, I realized that listening is not just about hearing words—it’s about understanding emotions, intentions, and the bigger picture. Lesson 2: Active listening dissolves barriers and creates pathways for collaboration. Regulating Emotions in High-Stress Situations During a complex software migration, an unexpected system failure triggered panic among stakeholders. As the project lead, I felt the pressure mounting. However, instead of reacting impulsively, I paused, analyzed the situation, and communicated a clear action plan. Keeping emotions in check not only reassured the team but also set the tone for a calm and focused recovery effort. The project was back on track within days, and the team’s confidence grew as a result. Lesson 3: Emotional regulation isn’t about suppressing feelings—it’s about channeling them effectively to lead under pressure. The Power of Recognition Emotional intelligence also lies in recognizing and appreciating people’s contributions. During a grueling project, I made it a point to acknowledge every team member’s effort, no matter how small. The simple act of recognition boosted morale and created a sense of shared ownership. When the project was completed successfully, the celebration felt more collective than individual—a testament to the power of emotional intelligence in fostering unity. Lesson 4: Recognition fuels motivation and strengthens connections within teams. Closing Thoughts Emotional intelligence is the bridge between leadership and humanity. To be continued...