By Terry Dillon

One thing is certain in these uncertain times: a few organizations will stand out from the crowd as those that are able to thrive in the current climate. Research will be done and books will be written about these organizations and their extraordinary accomplishments. What will emerge as the consistent differentiating quality of these companies? It will be nothing more complex than  when others saw the economic conditions as a threat they saw only opportunity. These organizations will have made choices based on how to take advantage of the unique circumstances while others adopted either a bunker mentality or worse – sat and did nothing.

Nokia, now synonymous with the cell phone, started out in 1865 as a forestry company. In fact until the early 1990s their core business was still paper, rubber and transmission cables. In the midst of a global recession, they switched their attention to mobile technology. They divested their core businesses and hatched a plan to sell 500,000 cell phones by 1994 – they actually sold 20 million. While other organizations were struggling with how to cut costs or reduce capital investment, Nokia was more concerned with how to raise capital and increase capacity. This was no accident.  Jorma Ollila, the then President & CEO and architect of Nokia’s strategy, saw the opportunity and focussed on the right choices for the business.

Stories of athletes overcoming adversity to triumph seemingly against all odds are relatively common place. In the World of elite sport the ability to thrive under pressure and rise to the occasion when it matters most is essential for success. We talk about athletes having a certain mental toughness, defined in terms of a desire to succeed, an ability to focus on what matters and perform under pressure. All of which is seemingly fuelled by an unshakeable belief in their ability to outstrip the competition. Typically, the mentally tough exude a quiet yet infectious confidence and strength of will that runs deep within their psyche.

The notion of mental toughness or resilience, once the reserve of the sporting world, is now increasingly talked about in a business context. We have woken up to the fact that it is not sufficient to be technically proficient in a job. The ability to be successful is as much about a developed mental approach as it is about expertise or job related capability. It will come as no surprise to discover that it is now quite common to find sport psychologists practicing as coaches in the work place. The same opportunity to develop a mental skill set exists for us in the office as much as it does on the playing field.

We all have a tendency to perceive a particular set of circumstances as either a threat or an opportunity. We may all be quite happy to sing in the shower but few of us would relish the prospect of standing in centre ice and singing O Canada to a packed arena prior to opening face off at GM place. Our appraisal of this depends on our belief in our ability to meet the demands of situations set against our perception of the consequences. There are patterns of thinking that encourage us to perceive certain circumstances as more of a threat than they need to be. We can tend to over generalise, talk in absolutes or predict the future. It is not preordained that all organizations will struggle in the current climate and that just because one company has lost ground does not mean that all others will follow. Recognising and challenging our own patterns of thinking and positively reappraising a situation is one of the most immediate things we can all learn to do.

Given the media frenzy around the fact the World has apparently gone to hell in a hand bag, we may well find ourselves surrounded by talk of navigating tough times to the exclusion of all else. The problem with this is that organizations will only spot opportunities if they remain open to possibility and do not become exclusively focused on thoughts of survival. Unless you are the manager of a nuclear power facility, a preoccupation with the worst case scenario is unlikely to be a strategy for long term success.

There is a need for many organizations to start a different conversation; a positive dialogue that focuses on opportunity not threat; promotes the unique attributes they possess; nurtures a desire for success and a belief in their ability to outstrip the competition. There is a need for mental toughness!

Terry Dillon, MBA, brings a unique perspective on performance and what it takes to create conditions for achieving sustainable success. He was an elite athlete for ten years and rowed for Great Britain competing at two Olympic Games. In parallel with his rowing career Terry was a teacher. He taught science and physics in both the private and public sectors. In 1999 he left teaching to study for an MBA at Cranfield School of Management and went on to work for Barclays Bank as a Management Consultant. Terry has been a coach and performance consultant since 2003 working worldwide for clients such as Coca Cola, 3M and Nestle. He brings a strong track record of applying his personal experience to help leaders achieve results.