Every team faces challenges—tight deadlines, shifting priorities, unexpected setbacks. Some teams crumble under the pressure. Others pull together, adapt, and come out stronger. The difference? Resilience.
Every September, R U OK? Day reminds us of the power of a simple question: “Are you OK?” This year’s theme, “Ask R U OK? Any Day,” is a powerful reminder that these conversations don’t need to be saved for a single calendar date — they should be part of how we connect with one another every day.
One day you’re working alongside your peers, the next you’re expected to set direction, manage performance, and support people through all the ups and downs of work life. That’s a lot. Here’s the thing: nobody expects you to have it all figured out on day one. But there are five leadership skills that will make the transition smoother—and help you feel confident, not just competent.
Resilience has become a workplace buzzword—but for leaders, it’s more than a nice concept. It’s a critical skill to cultivate within teams. In high-pressure environments where change, deadlines, and challenges are part of daily life, resilience is what keeps teams from buckling under the weight.
Stress isn’t always negative. Short bursts can sharpen focus, drive creativity, and fuel performance. But when stress is constant, unmanaged, or ignored, it chips away at wellbeing, morale, and productivity. Resilient teams recognise this reality. They don’t pretend stress doesn’t exist—they acknowledge it, manage it, and adapt.
Mental health doesn’t discriminate, it can hit any one of us in the same way physical health can. A large amount of stigma is still attached to conversations surrounding our mental wellbeing making it difficult to talk about which can often lead to those around us to unsure how to offer help and support
Mindfulness provides skills and practices to loosen our identification with thoughts, helping us see that the content of a thought is not inherently true. With attention, thoughts can be observed and met with wisdom rather than being acted out in habitual ways. For example, when a familiar stimulus triggers the thought, some ice cream would be nice now, we can observe this as “wanting” or “wanting thought,” rather than automatically going to the freezer and scooping out a bowl of ice cream.
Although many workplaces run a plethora of initiatives throughout the year that focus on raising awareness and discussing the importance of health and safety at work, it is equally important to provide a platform for your organisation to engage in activities, education and discussion surrounding the importance of mental health within the workplace as well. This will encourage people in your workplace to maximise their health potential, build resilience and improve recovery from mental health issues in the long term.
