Welcome to the Levelling Up Your Leadership series, where we break down some of the core capabilities required for impactful leadership. Through our work at The Change Arc, we’ve seen time and again that impactful leadership isn’t just about vision or being a brilliant communicator (although that’s important); it’s about a whole host of other practical skills that when combined make the difference. 

This series explores some of the key areas we believe are crucial to lead and deliver impact. We’re starting today with starting with Resilience.

The Resilience Reality Check

As a leader, do you feel like you just need to “push through”, “tough it out” and “keep going no matter what”?

Resilience is often misunderstood. It gets framed as being unshakable, always able to bounce back instantly, no matter the challenge. Heroic and Brave. Some people like to wear it as a badge of honour.

But that’s not how we see resilience. It’s not about brute force endurance, it’s more about adaptability. Yes, taking the hits, but then learning from them, and coming back with something better than just stubborn determination.

Through our work, we see resilience as a system. One built through habits, mindset, and a strong sense of purpose. The ability to make clear-headed decisions under pressure, keep momentum through uncertainty, and judge when to lean in or step back. Resilient leaders don’t just withstand challenges, they navigate them strategically.

So, let’s bust the myth that resilient leadership is all about survival and being the bravest. It’s not.

Think of it as making strategic trade-offs.  Leaders at the top of their game don’t withstand pressure; they manage their capacity. They aren’t just “strong”; they’re tactically resilient, staying focused on what actually moves the needle while letting go of what doesn’t.

Where we sometimes get it wrong

The biggest mistake? Linking resilience mental toughness only. Grit alone won’t get you through if the system around you is broken, if your resources are depleted, or if you’ve created a situation where you can never step back.

Real resilience comes from structure. The right support networks. The ability to self-regulate, knowing when to recover and when to re-engage. 

It’s about designing environments where you and your team can sustain performance over the long haul, not just ‘get though’ the short term.

Building Practical Resilience

If you want to level up in this area, here’s a few things that will help:

✅ Redefine resilience as capacity management, not just endurance.
High-impact leaders pace themselves. Rest isn’t a reward, it’s a requirement for performance. Manage your capacity as you would expect from others.

✅ Reframe set backs as data points.
Instead of dwelling on failure, treat challenges like experiments. Ask: What worked? What didn’t? What’s the next move? The faster you extract insights, the quicker you can adapt.

✅ Expect the unexpected.
Resilient leaders expect to have to be resilient. So get ahead of the game. Adding a few “what if?” questions at the start of your planning can make a major difference and help you to adapt and overcome faster. You can’t plan for everything, but losing the surprise factor can sometimes make a huge difference to the way you see a problem.

What’s Next?

Resilience is one part of the equation. The most impactful leaders understand their strengths, decision-making styles, and leadership habits so they can lead effectively in every situation. 

That’s why we created the Impact Readiness Index - a practical tool to help you assess where you stand across the eight key leadership domains.

👉 Take the Impact Readiness Index today to get a personalised report on your leadership strengths and opportunities.

The Change Arc works with leaders and teams to build the capabilities that drive influence and impact. If you want to explore how we can support your leadership journey, find out more about our work here.

About the Author

Iain Fowler is the Co-Founder of The Change Arc, helping leaders and teams build influence and impact. With a background in strategy, leadership development, and communication, he works with leaders to define and activate value, sharpen their leadership brand, and deliver real-world results.