The Seasonal Shift: 7 Resilience Tools for High-Performance Workplaces
Issue 204, March 20, 2025
Four times a year the natural world reminds us to take a pause. One can choose to ignore these seasonal shifts, but we think it’s a good idea to take advantage of the opportunity. We often write about grappling with toxic or dysfunctional workplace cultures, so, today we are looking at how to achieve high performance and operate with resilience with the help of a seasonal shift perspective.
As keen observers of human behavior influenced by working conditions, we have created a Field Guide of selected new and reimagined concepts and useful strategies to revitalize a few tools to help survive and thrive in any organizational culture. We have borrowed and amplified a portfolio of ideas from researchers and writers who have introduced new ways to think and behave.
Boomerasking
“As humans, we have a persistent focus on our own perspective, a trait that helps us survive but also undermines our dealings with others,” says Alison Wood Brooks, Harvard professor and author of The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves. Boomerasking is when “Someone asks you a question. When you’ve barely answered, they boomerang the conversation and start talking about themselves — usually one-upping whatever you managed to say.” As we have also written, in any conversation or relationship, “Pay attention to how much you’re on ‘transmit,’ and how much you’re on ‘receive.’” You’ll be more interesting if you’re more interested and are truly actively listening. Ask questions, listen and draw people out, they’ll think you’re a great conversationalist.” As Axios says, if you’re talking, you aren’t learning. And you just might be annoying.” It’s important to understand and know how to ask supportive and preventative questions. We addressed the art of empathetic communication, complicated conversations, communication theory and mastering the art of communication as guides for individuals to improve their communication and listening skills. Clear and constructive communication is the lynchpin of an organization’s ability to change and transform in dynamic times.
We’ve all experienced the negative outcomes of poor listening skills when they lead to misunderstandings, inefficiencies, and lost opportunities. Leaders and managers who dominate conversations without truly listening risk missing critical insights from their teams. Enlightened leadership encourages a culture of active listening and engagement, ensuring that employees feel heard. Training in effective communication can improve team cohesion and innovation. But if you establish training, it’s important to maintain refresher sessions and support systems to sustain new behaviors. We learn and model behavior by repetition and response. We also need honest, critical feedback to gain insights into whether what we said as the sender was heard by the receiver as intended. It’s a skill that takes practice. Being open to criticism makes us vulnerable and uncomfortable but helps us learn and improve over time. By avoiding “boomerasking,” the focus is on others’ needs rather than self-promotion. A stakeholder-first approach fosters stronger relationships and mutual trust.
People Pleasing
As reported by The New York Times, “People-pleasing happens for a range of reasons: It can be a childhood habit, a way of dealing with social anxiety or a response to fear of conflict. For those who are used to putting others first, standing up for oneself can be nerve-racking and a skill that has little practice.
Tips from experts include one from author Jefferson Fisher: Start by telling others that you’re going to disappoint them. You can try saying, ‘This is going to disappoint you — I can’t make it tonight.’ Saying this out loud helps you to assume control of your fear of letting the person down.” Of course, this approach may seem counterintuitive since we don’t want to hurt others’ feelings. But honestly is often more appreciated than any white lies that are told to avoid upsetting others. Beating around the bush extenuates productive, goal-focused discussion. Initial flattering small talk can help create alignment in a discussion and create a bit of a mind-meld to mitigate challenging topics and manage the recipient’s disappointment. This approach takes practice and an awareness of how we inherently operate and mentally process our interactions.
If we are constantly trying to please others and not rock the boat, we become exhausted and lose sight of what we are trying to achieve or share. Over-accommodation to others can lead to burnout, unclear priorities, and decision-making paralysis. Individuals and organizations that try to please all stakeholders all the time often lack a clear strategic focus. Savvy organizations set boundaries with clients, vendors, and internal teams to ensure objective, measurable operations. Employees should be empowered to say “no” when necessary and expectations need to be managed with candid, constructive honesty.
Curating
Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz, authors of Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less, advocate the idea of “picking one thing to push in any given memo, deck or sales pitch. If you make four points, your audience will remember zero points. Figure out your one thing and hammer it. Oliver Burkeman, author of “Four Thousand Weeks” (roughly how long you have if you live to 80!) has an essay in The Wall Street Journal where he calls “Radical do-ability means focusing on a limited number of goals at a time. It also means daring to ask what you’d actually enjoy doing differently in life, not just how you think you ought to change.” Consider our article on Too Much Choice which raises the point that when too many choices (more than three) are presented, we become anxious and often paralyzed by the analysis required to actually make a choice. The law of three permeates the human condition. We also covered this topic in terms of organizational change and transformation, where too much choice can erode business performance.
Overloading messages or initiatives dilutes their impact and can be downright confusing. When we want an audience to focus, hear us and understand why we believe something is important, necessary or absolute, the more we attempt to cover, the more we create distraction. Whether in marketing, internal communications, or product development, clarity and prioritization are key. Successful organizations identify one or two key differentiators and reinforce them consistently across all branding, marketing, and sales efforts. This is especially true in event and new product promotions. Simplifying and distilling information improves impactful initiatives instead of spreading the message so thinly that the message gets lost.
Avoidance
“Whenever you’re stuck, try inverting the problem. Ask yourself, what do I want to avoid?” So writes Ravindar Singh on LinkedIn. He adds, “If you want to be a better partner, ask yourself, what does a bad partner do? Poor partners don’t invest in or spend enough time on a relationship. They break trust and don’t communicate well. The exercise isn’t as hard as it may seem. One needs to simply reflect on what may hinder your own understanding, what pain points do you have that result in negative thinking? Avoid these behaviors and you’ll become a much better partner, leader, team member or co-worker. If you want more opportunities at work, ask yourself: What does someone do who is not getting opportunities? Chances are, the person is unreliable, low-energy, always negative and tends to complain. Avoid these if you want to advance. Using the ‘avoid it’ method is low-hanging fruit. After becoming aware of the obvious causes of a failure, avoid them. Then focus on proactive approaches that might help you achieve your goals.”
Identifying what to avoid can be as crucial as deciding what to pursue. Organizations that fail to recognize and mitigate risks early on often face preventable failures. Identify potential pitfalls before making major decisions. Effective teams conduct pre-mortems, scenario planning, risk assessments and post-mortems to prevent operational breakdowns.
Nonspecialists
Stanford Business School Professor Jonathan Bendor writes that experts don’t know it all. “Experts, however knowledgeable in their field, aren’t immune to being wrong.” As organizations turn to specialists to solve big issues, non-experts should still hold them accountable. Bendor adds that, “Nonspecialists need to hold people accountable. Otherwise, you get little groups that aren’t accountable to anybody.” He advises accepting the fact that nonspecialists can play a critical role in deciding how organizations respond to critical issues. Nonspecialists, combined with experts who know a lot about a lot of specific things, can aid in the best, well-formed outcomes that are contextual to the nuances unique to an organization. Think of this as an update on “The Wisdom of Crowds.”
At 2040, we work with clients to affirm that no problem or solution should be solved in a cookie-cutter manner. What works for one organization, given its circumstances, may be disastrous for another. Over-reliance on experts without external accountability can lead to blind spots and stagnation. Encouraging cross-functional perspectives leads to better decision-making. Even with current pushback on DEI, diverse teams that are inclusive and use systems thinking collaboratively have a better chance of success in propelling an organization forward or solving an immediate problem for both the short and long term. Empowering nonspecialists to challenge assumptions fosters a culture of accountability and ensures that all voices contribute to success.
Visual/Verbal Thinking
Temple Grandin, American scientist, inventor, and autism spokesperson identifies two main types of thinkers: visual thinkers who process information through images and verbal/logical thinkers who rely on words and language. Grandin categorizes visual thinkers into object and spatial visualizers who like Grandin, think in detailed, photo-realistic images. They rely on concrete, mental images to understand and solve problems. This group thinks in patterns and abstractions, combining language and image-based thinking. Visual thinkers often excel in areas like design, problem-solving, and spatial reasoning. They can also have strong visual memory and creativity. Verbal/logical thinkers are adept at learning languages, literature, and speech. They tend to process information linearly and rely on words and language to think and communicate. They often solve problems by talking about them or using a structured, symbol-based approach. Grandin argues that society often undervalues visual thinkers, leading to missed opportunities and potential. She also believes that different types of thinkers can complement each other and that fostering a diverse range of thinking styles is crucial for innovation and problem-solving.
Organizations that support both visual and verbal thinkers improve creativity and execution and build better teams through a prism of different perspectives. A mix of analytical (verbal/logical) and creative (visual/spatial) approaches is key to strategic planning. In terms of effective communications both internally and externally, visual tools (dashboards, diagrams, prototypes) complement traditional text-driven reports and presentations.
Mutualism
In ecology, mutualism describes a symbiotic relationship where two or more species benefit from their interaction, meaning neither species is harmed and both benefit from the relationship. In mutualistic relationships, both species involved get something positive from the interaction, such as food, shelter, protection, or assistance in reproduction. Think plants and pollinators or coral and their bacteria, both of which create a symbiotic existence of reliance. Mutualism is a crucial factor in the structure and function of ecosystems, contributing to biodiversity and stability. In a business context, mutualism describes a symbiotic relationship where two or more entities benefit from their interaction, creating a win-win situation. Each party involved gains something from the relationship, whether it’s resources, skills, market access, or something else. Think food courts inside shopping malls: The mall benefits from the food court’s traffic, and the food court benefits from the mall’s traffic. Mutualism often involves sustained collaboration rather than fleeting transactions. The combined efforts of the partners create more value than they could achieve independently. Collaboration can foster creativity and lead to the development of new products and services. Mutualistic relationships can build trust and loyalty between businesses.
Organizations thrive when they create mutually beneficial partnerships. Successful collaborations generate more value than solo efforts. And mutualism partnerships that align with company goals can provide long-term benefits rather than short-term gains. Ecosystems for all stakeholders based on collaboration can leverage the power of the whole with a holistic approach to problem-solving.
Awakenings
Each of the principles we have described plays a critical role in shaping an organization’s strategy and ensuring smooth operations. Listening better, setting boundaries, focused communication, managing risk, valuing diverse perspectives, leveraging different thinking styles, and fostering strategic partnership can drive long-term business success and resilience. We encourage our clients to be curious, pay attention to meaningful trends and stay open-minded to new ideas. You never know where your next best idea may come from!
Get “The Truth about Transformation”
The 2040 construct to change and transformation. What’s the biggest reason organizations fail? They don’t honor, respect, and acknowledge the human factor. We have compiled a playbook for organizations of all sizes to consider all the elements that comprise change and we have included some provocative case studies that illustrate how transformation can quickly derail.
