As one of the most “unprecedented” years in recent history draws to a close, another (possibly overused) term seems to be popping up more and more…
“Resilience” now seems to be what we are all to strive for. Resilient businesses, resilient landscapes, resilient communities.
Although definitions are many, most come back to “toughness” or the ability to “bounce back”; but from what I can see it’s a bit more than taking a concrete pill!
Resilience is not Resistance; to me it instead implies the ability to thrive (not just survive) in times of adversity- maybe bounce back to something better, something regenerative even.
Recently I had to do a bank loan review where we were encouraged to look into the crystal ball in terms of weather, markets and other potential risks for the year ahead. It was the first time I could confidently write that I didn’t care. Ups or downs both bring opportunity and being resilient is about recognising there are things we can influence but others we can’t, and for them we need to look for the silver linings.
In our business, farm & life we strive to not only cover our bases but to be on the lookout for opportunities. Change is often resisted, but with change comes opportunity so instead should be embraced (even encouraged, prompted or prodded) so we can be truly resilient. If nothing else, 2020 taught us all how to handle change!
During the Covid lockdown many businesses struggled however many others grew exponentially. Were those big winners just lucky to be in a particularly un-affected industry or within every industry were there businesses just better managed to take advantage of change, to think and act quickly and capitalise on opportunities that arose from the change bought on from the Covid?
Is resilience a state of mind moreso than a characteristic or attribute?
Whether dealing with climate fluctuations (from poor environmental choices), consumer behaviour fluctuations (from health uncertainty around a virus) or market fluctuations (from both- and many other things we have no control over); perhaps being resilient and thriving in uncertainty versus being – well – whatever the opposite is, comes down to that state of mind that always sees the glass half full.
As we approach the time of year when we reflect, (in some cases breathe a sigh of relief); and think about what we could do better next year; I for one am grateful to be surrounded by a broad community who largely are resilient, who largely see the glass as being “half full” and who largely inspire and stimulate our business into finding new (and old) ways to contribute to changing the world.
2020- what a bloody great year.
by Tim Scott
