Why resilience tools aren’t enough (and what actually helps teams perform)

By now, most organisations accept that stress impacts performance.

The problem isn’t whether stress matters. It's how we try to fix it.

The default response to pressure

I see this pattern everywhere.

Teams are under pressure. People are stretched. Decision quality drops. Tension rises.

So organisations respond by giving individuals tools:

• A mindfulness app

• A resilience workshop

• A reminder to “take breaks”

Sigh!!

Those things aren’t useless. But on their own, they’re not enough.

Why individual resilience tools fall short

If the system people are working in keeps triggering survival mode, all you’re doing is treating symptoms - not causes.

It’s like handing someone a breathing exercise while continuing to:

• Overload their diary

• Bombard them with “urgent” requests

• Leave expectations unclear

You can’t out-breathe a broken system.

Survival mode is created by how work actually happens

Survival mode isn’t just about how individuals cope.

It’s created, reinforced and sustained by everyday ways of working.

Things like:

• Ambiguity

• Constant interruptions

• Back-to-back meetings

• Everything being a priority

• Silence from leadership during change

None of these feel dramatic on their own. Together, they keep nervous systems permanently activated.

What chronic survival mode does to performance

When people are stuck in survival mode:

• They don’t think strategically

• They don’t collaborate well

• They don’t challenge early

• They focus on getting through, not doing their best work

This isn’t a motivation issue. It's a capacity issue.

And no amount of resilience training fixes that if the environment stays the same.

What actually helps teams perform

The good news is that small, intentional changes to ways of working can make a big difference.

For example:

• Clearer expectations

• Fewer, better meetings

• Space to focus without constant reactivity

• Multiple ways for people to contribute - not just the loudest voices

These aren’t “nice to haves”.

They’re the foundations of sustainable performance.

Better environments, not tougher people

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing what this looks like in practice - and how leaders can reduce survival mode without lowering standards or slowing delivery.

Because the real performance unlock isn’t tougher people.

It’s better environments.

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