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Author: Anat Shabi - Business Performance trainer and coach
As we celebrate 25 years of the Resilient Leaders Elements (RLE™), I find myself reflecting on their evolution and the creation of the Resilient leaders Development Programme (RLDP™). Sticking with something for this long is incredulous to me. Particularly since over the same period, I have had three different, and highly enjoyable careers.
To date, hundreds of individuals and businesses, including me, have benefitted from the RLE™.
"The lessons learned along these 25 years continue to shape and refine the RLDP™, making it a valuable resource for leaders navigating our uncertain world."
As a result, today, there are even more robust tools to support clients on their leadership journey.
The Power of Awareness
One of the most important lessons I gained from my RLE™ Accreditation was the power of awareness. Connecting with who I am as a person, rather than what I do, and shining a spotlight on what helps me lead myself and others in life and work. It was through this journey that I realised a key natural strength for me is creativity.
"The thing about strengths which come easily to you, is that you believe everyone else has them too. You forget them in your times of pressure and stress, when in fact, since they don’t require much energy, they could serve you or others well."
Despite the many changes in my life and career, creativity has been a constant. But I only truly understood its significance when I began exploring my own leadership in depth on the RLE™ Accreditation.
My family moved to London when I was 10 years old, and with very little English to connect me with my classmates, I started to rely on creative solutions. I would bridge the gaps with big gestures or sketches. And this knack for exploring different ways of building connections and simplifying complexity continued to accompany me in my life and my various careers.
Over the years I have used it to adapt and connect with my environment, but I hadn’t viewed it as a strength.
In my first career, as a hospital pharmacist, I used simple stories to explain complex medical conditions. This ability to break things down into creative building blocks was useful again at the start of the Covid 19 pandemic. I wanted to engage kids in the conversation and created an animated clip as a fun way to highlight the challenge we faced, and the measures we needed to take to reduce the spread of the virus.
Creativity in Leadership
Many people associate leadership with logic, analysis, and strategic thinking. While these are essential, they are not always enough, especially in times of uncertainty. I believe that leaders who embrace flexibility, experimentation, and creative problem-solving are more resilient in times of pressure and stress.
"Leaders who can adapt, think outside the box, and engage with curiosity and playfulness don’t just drive innovation, they also strengthen relationships, and create a culture of trust and openness within their teams."
For me, creativity has become a central tool in leadership development. Weaving playful elements into programmes helps me to create psychological safety, allowing teams to think more openly. It also drives inclusivity, giving everyone a voice so they feel seen, heard and understood. The deep connections formed engender trust, leading to stronger collaborations and ultimately, higher performance.
The science behind playfulness and creativity
"Uncertainty creates stress and decision fatigue and can result in burnout. In introducing playfulness, we are not escaping reality but rather employing a recharging tool for breaking the stress cycles."
Moments of play and relaxation enable the brain to shift from rigid, task-focused thinking to more abstract problem-solving. Creativity activates key areas of the brain known as the Default Mode Network (DMN), responsible for imagination, self-reflection, and creative thinking. When you engage in playful, creative activities, the DMN becomes more active, allowing you to make novel connections and explore innovative solutions.
Importantly, engaging the DMN requires less energy than highly focused analytical thinking, which helps avoid burnout while still generating innovative ideas.
Playfulness as a pathway to resilient leadership
We can invest energy in developing new skills or alternatively, grow our natural strengths with less effort. Being a fan of energy conservation I have opted for the latter. I now use my creative skills to design leadership programmes with a playful twist. The method of Lego®SeriousPlay® is a firm favourite, helping participants switch off and recharge while problem solving with creativity.
Innovation - just as athletes use unconventional training techniques to sharpen their skills, businesses that integrate play into their processes encourage outside-the-box thinking. Consider GCHQ (Government intelligence) as an example, they use puzzles and gamification in recruitment, adopting unconventional problem-solving skills.
Emotional Resilience - playful activities reduce stress and encourage an open-minded approach to setbacks, making it easier to reframe failures as learning opportunities. The NHS has playful well-being initiatives like Laughter Yoga to help workers handle stress.
Team Collaboration and Trust - Play-based exercises foster psychological safety, where employees feel more comfortable taking risks and sharing ideas. Google uses Play-based team-building activities encourage risk-taking and creative idea-sharing.
Adaptability in Uncertain Times – Play encourages leaders to experiment and iterate, a crucial skill when navigating unpredictable business environments. Tony’s Chocolonely uses fun, uneven chocolate bars to tell a serious story about inequality, adapting their messaging to different markets.
"Resilient leadership isn’t just about endurance, it’s about awareness, adaptability and creativity."
By integrating play into leadership strategies, businesses can approach challenges with fresh energy, curiosity and adaptability, cultivating an environment where the entire team can thrive, even in uncertainty.
As we celebrate 25 years of the Resilient Leaders Elements™, I invite you to reflect on your own journey.
Which strengths have shaped your leadership style?
How can your natural strengths help you navigate uncertainty and inspire those around you?
Meet the author: Anat Shabi
A loyal friend, an honest leader and a great believer in creativity as a driver of connection and performance. A certified Resilient Leaders Consultant, Anat collaborates with leaders, helping them develop their unique style and build happy, connected, high performing teams. She often facilitates with the powerful method of Lego®SeriousPlay®. An innovative framework, driving engagement for everyone in the room and helping them share their thoughts and ideas with simplicity.
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