The resilience playbook: how boards can lead with agility through volatile times
Warren Partners
In boardrooms around the world, the resilience conversation is shifting. What once centred on risk mitigation and business continuity now focuses on adaptability, speed and sustained performance under pressure. As economic shocks, geopolitical instability and structural uncertainty persist, leadership teams are rethinking what it means to build a business that can endure – and evolve.
For boards, this shift brings fresh responsibility. Resilience is a core leadership capability – one that spans strategy, talent, technology and culture. And increasingly, it’s a differentiator in how well companies respond to disruption and reset for growth.
Redefining resilience for the C-suite
“Resilience used to mean surviving shocks. Now, it’s about how quickly and intelligently you respond,” says Kirsty Dougan, Managing Director at Warren Partners. “For me, it’s imperative that leaders don’t just possess IQ and EQ – they must also have RQ; resilience”.
It’s a striking perspective, especially as boardrooms recalibrate their expectations of executive talent. In a world where disruption is a permanent feature, the ability to lead with calm under pressure, adapt in real time, and make high-stakes decisions at speed is becoming non-negotiable.
BCG’s latest research into strategic planning under uncertainty echoes this shift. It found that traditional long-range planning models are failing to keep pace with external volatility – and that the most resilient firms are those with flexible governance structures, empowered cross-functional teams and iterative, scenario-based thinking.
For Laurence Vallaeys, Partner at Warren Partners, it starts with how leaders handle pressure. “We assess how candidates behave in a crisis, because that’s when they truly reveal themselves”, she explains. “How do they make decisions? How much data do they need? Who do they involve? You can learn a lot from how someone responded to a tough chapter.”
More than ever, boards prize this mindset – not just experience in smooth growth phases, but track records in adversity. Leaders who have stewarded teams through restructuring, reputational events or operational shocks bring a psychological depth and pragmatism that’s hard to train for. “There’s a difference between confidence and conviction”, says Vallaeys. “What stands out are the leaders who bring humility, curiosity and the ability to energise teams in complex environments – not just command them.”
Flexible models, focused teams
Despite the pressure, not every board is defaulting to interim hires, although the fractional C-level hire can be useful during periods of crisis, as noted in this Warren partners report. More recently, Warren Partners has seen a rise in confidential benchmarking work – where companies map their internal leadership capabilities against market disruptors or adjacent sectors. This, says Vallaeys, reflects a deeper strategic shift. “Boards are asking: do we have the right mix of experience, pace and perspective to make the next set of calls? That sometimes means widening the aperture – looking across sectors, or rethinking succession models altogether.”
That shift is mirrored in wider corporate thinking. Research by Deloitte suggests that resilient organisations are prioritising adaptability not just in operations but in leadership development – building decision-making structures that allow faster, cross-functional responses and deeper foresight. This includes scenario planning, continuous skills development and embedding resilience into strategic planning cycles, rather than treating it as a reactive capability.
From playbook to practice
Building resilience isn’t just about mindset. It’s operational. A McKinsey report highlights how robust organisations invest in secure and flexible digital infrastructure, high-quality data systems and scenario-based planning to maintain continuity and act decisively under stress. They also clarify decision rights – ensuring speed doesn’t erode alignment or oversight.
For Vallaeys, much comes down to culture: “You need safe environments where teams can experiment, learn fast and fail without fear. That requires leaders who over-communicate, model adaptability and reward cross-functional problem-solving – not just delivery.” Dougan agrees. “Resilient cultures don’t happen by accident”, she says. “They’re built by leaders who create psychological safety, communicate with intent and empower teams to make smart calls even when the path isn’t obvious.”
In an era defined by uncertainty, resilience is not about staying the course. It’s about course-correcting quickly – and with purpose. For boards, that means appointing and supporting leaders who can do more than manage volatility. They must learn from it, lead through it and find opportunity on the other side.