With the business world demanding more for less, coupled with forecasts of even more challenges ahead and one out of every 160 companies currently going into liquidation, having on board individuals with resilience and broad shoulders to deflect the turbulence will differentiate the good from the great.
Historically associated with the world of sport, and now commonly used by sports psychologists and commentators as well as business leaders, Wikipedia describes mental toughness as 'A collection of attributes that allow a person to persevere through difficult circumstances and emerge without losing confidence.'
The traits of those with mental toughness encompass confidence, self-belief, courage, creativity and constantly pushing themselves out of their comfort zone. They also include embracing challenges and living with uncertainty as the norm - which makes a lot of sense when we recall in sports how uncertainty fuels adrenalin. As spectators we can never anticipate the outcome, which ensures compelling viewing.
When it comes to recruitment, the pressure to filter the wheat from the chaff and only take on those equipped with the necessary resilience to motivate and keep their colleagues focused and on track is enormous. This pressure is compounded by the fact that businesses are setting their growth sights lower as the trend of taking on fewer full time staff and hiring more contract and interim personnel looks set to continue.
With bosses navigating a 'steady course' in 2012 by focusing on tight cost controls and pricing management to retain margin and volume, costly recruitment mistakes are therefore prohibitive. Unearthing the traits of mental toughness during the recruitment process is therefore critical before the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed on the employment contract.
With the recent national Stress Awareness Day taking on more relevance than ever in our extraordinary business climate, another key element of mental toughness is the ability of bosses and managers to deal with stress and transform it from a negative into a positive energy to power the company and the bottom line.
In firms which have shed staff - and in those which have not - the spotlight will inevitably shine even more intensely on current personnel who will be required to step up to the mark. I envisage Lean will remain a key watchword as productivity and 'Lean Thinking' initiatives are implemented to improve the turnover and gross profit of every employee.
I also recommend managers support their existing teams to become more resilient as this can pay dividends in every aspect. This recommendation is reinforced by colleagues of mine at Primeast whose experiential learning in handling organisational change includes delivering mental toughness programmes across the private and public sector.
Their evidence is that such programmes are invaluable - particularly for companies entering a period of restructure or other change. This is because they ensure that managers are prepared psychologically to take the business forward and because they support the employees who have to pick up the pieces, having lost colleagues in restructure and redundancies.
I would also wholeheartedly urge that, as well as recruiting those with the mental toughness to support their teams in the aforementioned manner, bosses should hone and tone their own mental alertness.
The mental and physical wellbeing of today's leaders is critical to the performance and success of their respective organisations.
With the next 24 months forecast to be even more testing than the last three years, having the focus to persevere, build strong teams and keep bouncing back will hold them in good stead for the marathon challenges ahead.
Richard Bosworth (pictured) facilitates What If Forums.
