This summer, a sudden illness landed me in the hospital. For days I had a fever that climbed as high as 42°C!
I didn’t even know this was possible!
Weeks later, at my final check-up, the doctor reviewed the tests and said: “Everything points back to normal.”
We paused together, reflecting on all the strange and worrying symptoms from weeks prior. I told her: “I didn’t even know you could have a 42°C fever and live!”
She replied:
“This isn’t a normal situation. It’s clear you’ve been living a healthy lifestyle: your food choices, your exercise, your rhythms. That’s what made the difference.”
That conversation reminded me of something every leader needs to hear:
👉 Resilience doesn’t appear in the crisis. It’s built long before.
“In leadership, just as in health, you don’t rise to the level of challenge… you fall to the level of your preparation.”
So here are three questions I’ve been asking myself, and I encourage you to do the same:
- What daily rhythms are strengthening your resilience right now?
- Is your team culture strong enough to withstand sudden shocks?
- Where do you need to prepare today for challenges you can’t see yet?
Because when the storm hits, it’s already too late to start building.
Let’s enjoy our health while we have it, and do whatever is within our knowledge and capacity to keep it that way!
—Reinier.