Resilient Leadership: Lessons from Organisational Psychology

Resilient Leadership: Lessons from Organisational Psychology

· by Navin Kumar, MBA, MIEAust

Resilience is often described as the ability to bounce back from setbacks. For leaders, it is more than recovery. It is the capacity to adapt, sustain clarity, and guide others through pressure and uncertainty. Organisational psychology offers lessons that turn resilience from a personal trait into a leadership practice.

Beyond Individual Strength

Resilience is sometimes misunderstood as toughness or endurance. Research by Sutcliffe and Vogus (2003) reframes resilience as a collective capacity. It is not just about how one leader copes with stress. It is about how leaders foster conditions where their teams and organisations adapt and thrive under strain.

Practices That Build Resilient Leadership

Organisational psychology highlights several practices that strengthen resilience in leadership:

  • Sensemaking: Helping teams interpret complexity rather than react to it.
  • Improvisation: Encouraging flexibility and learning when plans shift.
  • Resourcefulness: Making the most of available tools and talent.
  • Relational trust: Building networks of support that sustain morale.

Leading Under Pressure

Resilient leadership shows itself most clearly in moments of crisis. Leaders who pause to reflect, name reality with honesty, and guide their teams with both steadiness and empathy create psychological safety. This safety allows teams to continue performing even when conditions are uncertain or demanding.

Reflection as a Tool for Resilience

Journaling and other reflective practices help leaders identify stress patterns, manage emotions, and draw meaning from difficult experiences. Over time, reflection builds self-awareness and perspective, both of which are core to resilience.

Closing Thought

Resilient leadership is not about avoiding difficulty. It is about meeting it with adaptability, clarity, and humanity.

Pressure is inevitable. Growth is optional. Follow Within Pages™ for more insights on resilient leadership, or visit www.withinpagesjournal.com to explore how structured reflection strengthens leaders under pressure.

© 2025 Within Pages™. The Reflective Edge. All rights reserved.


About the Author

Navin Kumar holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Strathclyde and is a Member of Engineers Australia (MIEAust). With over 18 years of leadership experience across the global automotive and technology industries, he currently serves as Global Head of Quality Assurance at a leading technology firm in Australia. As co-founder of Within Pages™, Navin combines technical precision and operational efficiency with a passion for shaping leadership practices that create lasting impact.

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AI-generated content may be incorrect.Navin Kumar, MBA, MIEAust 

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