Resilience in business: 5 steps to get started

[Yvonne]

We’re talking resilience, sustainability and agribusiness this week as Fieldays 2015 kicks off in Mystery Creek, Hamilton from 10 to 13 June.

_“Resilience” is a buzz word that farmers will be hearing a lot of at this year’s Fieldays. But what exactly is resilience? _We asked Resilient Farmer founder Doug Avery (2010 South Island Farmer of the Year and 2013 Landcorp Agricultural Communicator of the Year) for his point of view:

Resilience is your ability to ‘bounce forward’ from your troubles. Most people do little about building or thinking about resilience until a problem has arisen. Usually, it’s too late by then. When you’re caught in the current of an event is, however, a great time to think about next time. About how you can do better. This is why bad times are so important to create good times - they create vision and action.

The following five steps are a great place to start:

1. Relationships

Long enduring relationship are second to nothing when things get challenging.
2. Knowledge

Knowing where you are in life. Self awareness. Continuous self improvement.
3. **Change
**
Accepting that change is good. Learn to love it.
4. Reality
Accepting that it is your hard won challenges that actually builds your ability. Focus on what you can control/influence.
5. **Goals
**
The progressive realisation of a worthy goal is like fertiliser to the brain.

To achieve these five points one must:

1. **Be positive
   **
   Great relationships are build by positive people with vision and goals.
2. **Learn
   **
   Continuous self improvement is life’s greatest insurance policy against sadness.
3. **Be open to change
   **
   The world is always changing - so must you.
4. **Do it now
   **
   Now is a great word. Ask yourself what you can do now to make something happen. This is the cement for the next building block. This builds hope and confidence.
5. **Have a vision, and take action
   **
   Vision without action is just a dream. Action without vision is just activity. Vision and activity together can change your world.

See Doug speak in the BNZ Partners marquee at Fieldays 2015.

[KirstyQ]

I think this is great advice for anyone in business. Although it’s especially true for farming, there’s something that all business owners can take from Doug. It would be well worth hearing him speak.