A State of Wellness

15 May 2009, SUNTEC City, Singapore - I delivered a keynote address to an audience of about 200 staff of the National University of Singapore (NUS). It was an entrance to a full-day Wellness Conference, which included three workshops on optimism, pilates and nutrition. My topic was ‘Making Change – Finding Resilience During Tough Times’.

In my keynote speech, I shared that resilience is about restoring your original state/shape. Think of a stretched rubber band, however not an over-stretched one. Our capability and capacity can be tested, without us breaking down (as an individual) or apart (as a team). Resilience involves other values such as determination, persistence, tenacity, flexibility and optimism. Terms like ‘bouncing back’, ‘recovery’, and ‘buoyant’ are used to describe resilient people. On an optimistic note, I reiterated the belief that ‘Tough times don’t last – tough people do’.

Flexibility is the ability to generate more choices for yourself when you encounter problems. The late-Anita Roddick of The Body Shop used to say: ‘Three choices are a good beginning.’ So, come up with at least three choices when you intend to solve a problem. These choices pave the way to your decision-making – a core competency of leaders.

The Wellness Centre of NUS manages clients that comprise students and staff. The audience I enjoyed this morning can be described as enthusiastic, engaging and participative. I used magical illusions to illustrate my points about change, people involvement, and the ability to create more choices.

Coming corporate presentations for the Education Sector:

Positive Thinking, 28 May 2009

Managing Stress with Humour at the Workplace, 5 June 2009

‘Mr Enrico. You are a man of "many talents". I like the keynote speech you gave this morning, especially incorporating magic into a serious topic "Making Change – Finding resilience during tough times" which you delivered it very well in a fun and easy to understand way. I believe many of my colleagues also enjoyed the session. I will share with my union colleagues on the experience.’ - Michael TAN (Mr)