Building Resiliency with Global Perspectives and RIJ

According to the UN, stress is the leading health pandemic of the 21^st century. BCCJ member firm Global Perspectives agrees: it is with resilience that the modern company can defeat the challenges associated with stress, and guide employees towards healthier mindsets and working habits.

In a fast-paced global business environment, challenges can land in your inbox on an almost hourly basis. Everyone’s busy, expectations are unfeasibly high, and tensions can easily begin to rise.

Leaders are expected to find innovative solutions to problems; staff are expected to be flexible and strong at the same time; everyone is expected to battle through tough times and find new ways of doing things. How you handle such high-pressure situations can impact the success of your team – and make or break your career.

But when times are tough, it can be easy to get caught up in negative mindsets that favour inaction, or cause us to revert to deeply-ingrained and ineffective patterns of behaviour.

So how can you build the resilience required to cope with stress on the job?

One strategy for increasing emotional resilience is to explore new sources of ideas and inspiration.

Becoming more resilient

On October 3, led by Tove Kinooka and Gavin Dixon, co-founders of BCCJ Entrepreneur member firm Global Perspectives, BCCJ members and guests were invited to engage with the real-life stories of refugees who have overcome unimaginable hardships to turn their lives around and set up successful businesses and projects around the world.

In collaboration with RIJ – an independent Japan-based not-for-profit organisation that supports refugees in regaining their independence and dignity through sustainable initiatives – the interactive session highlighted incredible examples of resilience, of people overcoming obstacles in the face of great adversity.

Tove and Gavin firstly touched upon the benefits of a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset. These included leaps in productivity and creativity, and most importantly, increased resilience. They then shared tips for how to foster a growth mindset at work – with activities centred around practice, reflection, and a concrete step-by-step process for managing stress.

RIJ’s Executive Director Jane Best spoke of the resilience inherent in a refugee’s struggle. She urged corporates to closely consider the mission of RIJ and the organisation’s focus on the health, education and economic livelihoods of people displaced by conflict around the world.

Participants left the event not only inspired by incredible stories, but also with a resilience toolkit of transferable skills that they could use in their own workplace from the very next day.

This was a truly enlightening learning and development opportunity.

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The session was delivered by Tove Kinooka and Gavin Dixon of BCCJ member firm Global Perspectives, in conjunction with Refugees International Japan.