Rapid recovery (Resilience)

Raft visualization technique

To train emotional resilience after a setback, we can use guided visualization exercises.

Imagine you are on a small raft in the middle of a calm ocean, feeling in control and having access to your resources.

Suddenly, visualize the sea churning and a wave tossing you overboard into the cold water.

The exercise is to observe yourself in that crisis situation: Do you panic or do you stay afloat? How do you get back to the raft? The goal is not to avoid falling into the water (failure is inevitable at times), but to observe how you calm yourself and employ strategies to return to your center of power and confidence.

With mental practice, we learn that "getting wet" is not fatal and we become stronger sailors, able to get back on the boat more quickly and calmly after each fall.

The strength to ask for help

A common limiting belief is to think that asking for help is synonymous with weakness or incompetence, especially in competitive environments.

However, biology and modern psychology tell us otherwise: we are designed for connection and collaboration.

Trying to solve everything alone ("going it alone") often leads to burnout and project failure.

To learn effectively and overcome imposter syndrome, we need accurate feedback on our capabilities, and that only comes from external interaction.

Adopting a growth mindset means being open to receiving help to close knowledge gaps.

Asking for direct assistance from mentors or colleagues does not make us less valuable; on the contrary, it accelerates our development and strengthens professional bonds, avoiding the isolation that nurtures self-doubt.

The power of shared vulnerability

Paradoxically, the fastest way to eliminate the shame associated with a mistake is to "tell on oneself."

When we feel disconnected or anxious in a meeting or project, our tendency is to withdraw and hide it.

However, openly sharing that we are having a bad day or feeling low energy can be liberating.

By verbalizing our situation ("I'm feeling a little disconnected today"), we defuse the internal tension of having to fake perfection.

This honesty creates a space of psychological safety not only for ourselves, but also for others, allowing for authentic reconnection.

Recognizing one's own fallibility in real time is an act of leadershi