Spaghetti, Paperclip, or Reed?
A useful concept I found in The Broken CEO by Chris Pearse is the difference between stress and strain, and their relationship to resilience:
Stress = the force applied to an object
Strain = the response to stress; amount of bend — and breaking point
Resilience = the ability to bounce back from stress
These differences can be illustrated through three objects: uncooked spaghetti, a paperclip, and a reed (of grass or similar). Each responds to stress in a unique way. They all bend, but from there things differ…
Bend, then break
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash
Spaghetti under strain will snap under too much stress. However, under moderate stress, it will return to its original shape. This is elasticity.
Bend, then stay
Photo by Андрей Сизов on Unsplash
A paperclip will also bend, but will take on new shape as a response to stress. This is plasticity.
Bend and bounce back
Photo by Xiaolong Wong on Unsplash
Now the reed…the reed can tolerate much stress, without losing shape or breaking. The reed bounces back from stress. This is resiliency.
Be like the reed
Where the spaghetti is brittle, the reed is strong. Where the paperclip is impressionable, the reed has integrity.
What needs to happen to become more reed-like? What is the simplest, smallest thing you can do today to start?
