Thank you for taking part in The Tech in Tech Global Conference today for my session on resilience and belonging. Every year I love to be part of this event and be filled with thoughtful, brave women and allies ready to lead intentionally.
If you are reading this after our time together, I hope the message will stay with you: we don’t have to wait for resilience to appear – we can build it together. The very foundation of its elasticity lies in alliance and belongings.
Resilience is rarely a solo experience
In a fast-paced environment like technology, I sometimes think resilience is about personal toughness. We develop by pushing through, staying late, and not showing weakness. But that version of resilience is lonely and frankly unsustainable.
True resilience is not just individual strength, but relational strength. When we know that we are not alone, when we see and hear, and when we know that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, we become more resilient.
That’s why I wrote about entrepreneurial resilience. Whether you’re building a startup or leading a team within a large company, it’s because resilience increases when we have support, not when we are quarantined. We build together in the community.
The role of attribution and alliance
Attributions are more than included in a meeting or added to a slack channel. It’s a feeling that you’re often seen who you are, your voice, your story, your perspective.
And when you’re in a real space, you don’t have to spend any energy to prove yourself. You can spend it on your best work. You can innovate, collaborate and take creative risks.
This is where Allyship becomes powerful. Allyship is not about saving anyone, it’s about creating spaces. It’s about pausing to listen, checking your own biases and providing support in the way they actually meet people.
People thrive in teams that practice this kind of mindful alliance. Collaboration is deeper. Trust will be stronger. And, as they always do, even when challenges arise, we are more likely to face them rather than be at odds.
Psychological safety begins with us
One of the most common questions I get from leaders is, “How do you generate psychological safety?”
And the answer is simple and difficult. It starts with you. How will it appear in conversation? How to deal with mistakes. How to respond to feedback and opposition parties.
People are honest and even if it’s uncomfortable, they want to grow, take ownership and connect.
That safety grows as we lean towards a rigorous conversation with caution. If you’re trying to navigate a polarised workplace or talk about tough things, I’ve written this post and provided some practical ways to start those conversations from a place of compassion and strength.
Overcoming bias, building curiosity
We all have unconscious bias. It’s human. But putting these biases unconfirmed will miss the opportunity to connect, especially the negative bias that princesses looking for what is wrong.
If you’ve ever anti-minating with a single criticism while ignoring ten compliments, then you’re not alone. It is a negative bias in operation. Good news? We can train ourselves and shift. I’ll talk more about it here.
When we make an effort to understand other people’s stories – even if we don’t agree with all of it, we build mutual respect that promotes collaboration and trust. And trust is the center of belonging.
What we practice at work will spread to our lives
Everything I share today applies not only to my workplace, but also to my home and community. When we practice alliance and psychological safety with our colleagues, we build our muscles to show up for our families, our neighbors, and even strangers with more empathy and care.
The conversation we have. The stories we share. Assumptions we challenge. All of these are entrances and exits to deeper relationships.
You can read more about how positive psychology and communication create stronger relationships not only for happier teams, but also at all levels of life. Because when we understand each other better, we are more likely to support each other, especially when life becomes difficult.
Let’s keep talking
If something hits a chord with you in today’s session, I want to continue the conversation. Perhaps you are navigating the leadership transition, struggling to feel like you are in, or trying to create a culture of care within your team. This is the job I do with my clients every day. It prevents them from leading with more emotional intelligence, compassion and resilience.
On my site, there are ways to work with me through coaching, workshops and retreats. It is based on all evidence-based practices and real-life experiences. I founded almost carefully to help people discover the meaning of thriving, to help them grow to their fullest potential as human beings, barely able to survive.
There’s no need to go alone. And you don’t have to be perfect. Just start with curiosity, care and willingness to listen.
That’s how we belong. That’s how we build resilience. And that’s how we stand up.
