It seems at every turn, we’re hearing about ‘resilience’ and how important it is for countries and companies, communities and individuals. Everything and everybody seems to be striving ‘to be more resilient’.
Well into the second year of a global pandemic, it’s probably not surprising that the world is talking about ways to bear up in the face of rolling adversities. But it’s one thing to get back up on shaky legs after a hard knock down; and it’s quite another to be able to steady yourself so competently that you go on to decisively win the fight.
The latter is what Gabi Lowe and Pippa Shaper, co-founders of the Resilience Factory call ‘authentic resilience’. Their pioneering work into the personal development of authentic resilience has informed the latest BrandMapp survey, which has uniquely captured the COVID-era opinions of South Africans living in households with a R10 000+ monthly income.
Ten resilience survey statements, five positive and five negative, were presented to more than 33 000 middle class South Africans, giving companies, brand and media owners an exceptional insight into the resilience of the 30% segment of the population that represents 100% of the country’s taxpaying base and 80% of all consumer spend. As Gabi Lowe says, “Many don’t realise that authentic resilience is a critical life skill. It is the powerful ability to survive, thrive and grow in the face of stress, change, adversity and trauma. Everyone has the capacity to develop greater levels of authentic resilience. Understanding what it is, who has it and where it needs to be developed has impacts across all sectors of South Africa from industry and corporates to educational institutions and communities.”
