“Difficulty is what wakes up the genius.” Nassim Nicholas Taleb
I am yet to meet an extremely successful person that has not experienced some form of extreme challenge in their lives. This should not surprise me. To think any other path to excellence was possible would be as likely as someone winning an Olympic gold having never trained. Nonsensical!
We know in the realm of physical pursuits that things typically work out best for those that do the best work outs. “No pain no gain” the old saying goes. However, when it comes to the world of work we’d like to think there is an easier path to the top. But as we all know that is unlikely. This applies as much to individuals and their careers, as it does to companies and their success.
What do the following organisations have in common? Apple, Google, Tesla, Airbnb, Marvel, Lego?
Yes all are massively successful global brands.
And, all have survived near death experiences.
The big question is could they have been as successful without almost failing?
According to research on a new concept called ‘antifragility’, the answer is that the challenges these companies experienced are not just linked to their success, they are instrumental to it. The same is true for us individually.
Lebanese-American best selling author, mathematical statistician, former option trader and risk analyst Nassim Nicholas Taleb coined the term ‘antifragile’ in his book by the same name. As a trader he was fascinated by how the most successful investors not only rode the waves of market volatility, they actually and intentionally gained from disorder.
Taleb’s extensive research found that being antifragile is a function of most natural systems. We all have the ability to turn adversity into advantage. Shortly I’ll share three key ways to make this happen in your personal and professional lives. But first let’s define antifragility, using metaphor and starting with it’s opposite… fragility.
- Fragility is like candle. The wind blows and the light goes out. Game over.
- Resilience is like Bunsen burner. No matter how hard you blow, it always returns to normal.
- Anti-fragility is like a bushfire. The bigger the wind the stronger it gets.
There are plenty of headwinds in our personal and professional lives. The thought of these making us stronger certainly appeals to me. But how can we build our antifragility? Here are three evidence-based approaches to doing so.
- Reframing adversity – Challenge yourself to see setbacks and stress as a pathway to progress, just like we see challenging ourselves at the gym will help us get stronger. Learning the difference between eustress (positive stress) and distress (negative stress) is key here. Whatever you go through can grow you, but dealing with extreme or chronic distress requires additional tactics.
- Strengthening connections – Build robust networks and foster a culture of support. Relationships are the scaffolding for antifragility, helping individuals and teams to find support, deepen relationships, and transform roadblocks into building blocks.
- Cultivating Purpose: A clear sense of purpose is the compass that guides individuals and organizations through the storms of change. It provides a sense of direction and resilience, enabling them to navigate challenges with clarity and conviction.
As positive psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar says “learn to fail or fail to learn.”
Or as 7 x world champion surfer Layne Beachley “if you are not winning you are learning”.
My best to you in gaining from disorder.
Rich Hirst is the CEO and co-founder of Abundium, a growth accelerator network for the local leaders of foreign owned companies in Australia, currently supporting the success of around 100 multinational companies, working most closely with CEOs, HRDs and their teams. Rich’s passion is high performance psychology, having a Masters of Organisational Psychology and post grad studies in Positive Psychology. He regularly writes, speaks, and coaches executive teams and via Abundium’s additional services ‘makes multinational growth easier’ driven by the ultimate purpose of ‘building abundance for all’.
For any Leaders based in Australia who are part of a multinational, then check out this upcoming event that Abundium is hosting. Details of how to register are in the link https://info.abundium.com/elm-2024
