Leading an anti-fragile team
- mayadolgin
- May 22
- 3 min read
(May 20, 2025 Newsletter)
Last week I was catching up on a course I’m taking on the neuroscience of change. I was watching a lesson on stress and trauma, a topic that I have not studied yet in depth, so I was excited to get a window into this very important skillset as a coach.
At some point the instructor used the phrase “anti-fragile,” a term I had never heard before. I immediately zipped over to the handout to read more. The section was entitled “Post-Traumatic Growth and Anti-Fragility.”
To explain why 90% of the population will experience a traumatic event but only 3.5% of the population will end up with PTSD, she explained that it’s because humans are wired to be anti-fragile.
What does it mean to be anti-fragile?
Anti-fragility is the concept that beyond bouncing back from adversity (which is the definition of resilience), we are wired to be strengthened by adversity.
When I learned this last week, I felt a wave of excitement and hope rush through me. Of course we can be anti-fragile. I know what that’s like. I’ve seen it in others. And it’s so easy to forget when we’re under enormous stress.
Why it matters
In these especially uncertain times, we have to find ways to uplift our teams.
We all know what it’s like to have so much on our shoulders, so much working against us, that we wonder whether it’s even worth it to keep going.
Anti-fragility can help individuals remember that “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”
This is true for teams, as well, but can feel harder to turn the concept into practice.
Developing anti-fragile teams
Introduce the concept: At an upcoming team meeting or offsite, share the term with your team and ask them to think of times in their lives when they’ve been strengthened by adversity (and to share their answers with each other). Next, ask them to consider examples at a team or organizational level. What makes it possible for a team to come out stronger after experiencing major stress together?
Brainstorm new practices: I’ve already written about the importance of developing practices to turn new insights into action as individuals, but doing so as a team requires alignment, ongoing monitoring, and adjusting to stay on course. Come up with some ideas of what it would look like in practice to be an anti-fragile team and what experiments the team can start doing right away (learning will be an important piece of the puzzle).
Pick a champion: There are arguments to be made for why it should be you, but having it be someone else can empower a promising member of the team. Let that person set the next steps while you take on the role of coaching them.
Celebrate anti-fragile moments. When you spot moments where the team is stronger than they were before, call them out and encourage the others to do the same. You’ll notice with time how you embody the behaviors you laid out as hallmarks of resilience, strength, and growth.
Final thoughts:
A huge caveat to the concept of anti-fragility is that this should not be manipulated to excuse poor behavior. We’re referring to the team working together against outside forces, not letting people off the hook for being mean to each other.
Consider your role in the team’s health. Are there ways that you hold them back from learning? Make sure that you enter the conversation with humility.
The Coaching Corner
Win slips
A client mentioned yesterday that he has a ritual he started with his team (and was kind enough to let me share it here) - at every 1:1 he has the team member write on an index card one thing from that week that the person is proud of and put it in a box.
To prepare for their annual review he asks the person to read all the index cards. What a great way to remember the weekly wins that can get lost.
Recommendations
You might know I have a soft spot for inspiring sports coaches - so here’s a great interview with George Raveling about his relationship with Michael Jordan.
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