Let’s think about the metaphor of bamboo, which invites us to transform ourselves into strong beings that bend with the wind, but without breaking. However, what was wind is now climate change. We have gone from storms and hurricane-force winds to severe droughts. Which forces us to think of the image of the cactus.
Why cactus? I found the answer in the pages of the book “Antifragile” by Nassim Taleb. This text goes beyond mere flexibility; It tells us about the ability to overcome, to become “anti-fragile” beings.
There is no bamboo that can withstand geopolitical conflicts, pandemics and infectious diseases, economic and financial crises, cyberattacks and digital security, economic and social inequality, unemployment and underemployment, refugee crises and forced displacement, water shortages and water crises, political and social polarization. And these are just the 10 most risky problems mentioned by the World Economic Forum for the next two years.
Training new skills is our responsibility and as adults we cannot wait and much less victimize ourselves. What we have left is to exercise and this antifragility thing is an interesting concept.
Taleb explains that being antifragile does not mean being invulnerable, quite the opposite. It is about the ability of certain systems, organisms or situations to benefit from disorder, volatility or stress. While fragility is defined as susceptibility to damage from disturbances. Antifragility involves growing and strengthening through challenges.
Aren’t we all immersed in this? In my work as a coach and mentor in personal, professional and team development, I find it interesting to mention the four fundamental keys to cultivating antifragility that Taleb brings:
- Resilience vs Antifragility: Unlike resilience, which involves a system’s ability to recover from trauma or disruption, antifragility involves gaining strength and improving as a result of challenges. Imagine that you launch your first product on the market and you fail. Instead of getting discouraged, you can use this experience as a learning opportunity. We take a hard look at what went wrong, adjust your approach, and try again with a new strategy. As a result, we not only overcome the initial failure, but we overcome it, look at the context, and restart.
- Risk and exposure: Completely avoiding risk is not the best strategy, according to the author. Some systems need exposure to risk to become stronger and prosper. Cultivating our financial intelligence and diversifying investments can be an example. Let’s think about professional development and those who avoid taking risks in their careers, such as changing jobs or exploring new fields and remain stuck in roles that do not challenge them or allow them to grow. In the act of exposing ourselves to the risk of seeking opportunities, we can discover new skills, experiences and perspectives. The same goes for those entrepreneurs who cling to conventional ideas and miss out on the possibility of creating innovative and disruptive solutions that address unmet needs in the market.
- Risk strategy: Taleb proposes an “all-or-nothing” strategy, where intermediate risks are avoided and investments are divided into two extremes: one very safe and the other highly speculative. In project management, for example, a project manager follows the strategy by dividing the team’s resources and time into two parts: one dedicated to the execution of critical and well-defined tasks that guarantee the fulfillment of the main objectives of the project, and another reserved for the exploration of innovative ideas or creative solutions that can generate additional value but that could also entail a greater risk of failure.
- Decentralization: It advocates decentralization and diversification as a means to strengthen systems and reduce vulnerability to adverse events (one of my favorites because it allows us to build “options”). I find the formation of interdisciplinary work teams super interesting. By including members with diverse skills, experiences, and perspectives, the team can approach challenges from different angles and find more innovative and resilient solutions.
It is clear that the challenge is challenging, but each of us is responsible for sustaining it. As individuals or work teams, we are systems that need to associate with this concept not only to overcome but to form powerful networks that can withstand the unpredictable.
Mentor and coach in personal branding, persuasion and marketing for service businesses (@caroaltamiranofink)
Source: Ambito
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
