The Courage of a Leader

Redefining Resilience: Moving Beyond Survival to Growth | Russell Harvey

Russell Harvey · January 21, 2025

Executive Coach · Leadershipin

Interview with Russell Harvey

Redefining Resilience: Moving Beyond Survival to Growth | Russell Harvey

Podcast: The Courage of a Leader

January 21, 2025 · 34 min

Listen to Russell Harvey on The Courage of a Leader.

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Redefining Resilience: Moving Beyond Survival to Growth | Russell Harvey
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The Courage of a Leader

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Key topicsLeading Well When the World Won’t Slow DownChange is no longer something leaders navigate occasionally - it is the environment they lead in every day. Russell explores the difference between leaders who are simply surviving relentless change and those who can genuinely say: “There’s a lot going on, and I’m good.” Drawing on nearly two decades specialising in resilience, Russell offers a practical perspective on what resilient leadership actually looks, sounds and feels like when the pressure is real and the uncertainty isn't going away.Before You Add AI to Your Team, Fix the Human OneOrganisations are racing to adopt AI, but Russell believes leaders need to ask a more fundamental question first: what makes our team work brilliantly together? Only then can they understand where AI can genuinely improve performance. With deep expertise in leadership, resilience and navigating persistent change, Russell offers a refreshingly human perspective on AI: the biggest challenge may not be the technology, but how well we lead the people using it.Off the Record — What Leaders Admit in Coaching and Never Say in the BoardroomRussell Harvey has coached leaders to board level for over 6,000 hours, and the same admissions come up in private: they are guessing, they are tired, and they can say neither out loud. Most organisations treat that silence as strength and reward the executive who never wavers, which is how confident-looking teams commit to decisions nobody in the room believes in. Drawing on 18 years with organisations from the NHS to Novartis and Kerry Group, he describes what changes when a leader finally gets one place to think honestly: how they pressure-test a decision before announcing it, and how they pass that same permission down to their own team. Listeners leave able to hear what their leadership group is not saying, and knowing what to do once they hear it.View all topics →

About Russell Harvey

Russell Harvey, podcast guest

The Resilience Coach | Resilient Leadership Expert

100,000+ People positively affected6,000+ Executive coaching hours£12M+ ROI delivered by RWE npower leadership programme20+ years Learning, leadership and organisational development

Russell Harvey is The Resilience Coach - a resilient leadership expert, executive coach, facilitator and keynote speaker who helps leaders and organisations perform at their best when the world refuses to stand still.

With more than 20 years in Learning, Leadership and Organisational Development, 6,000+ hours of executive coaching and over 70 published podcast appearances, Russell is an experienced and engaging voice on resilience, leadership and navigating persistent change. He has worked with leaders across organisations including Novartis, the NHS, AB World Foods, Kerry Group and The Co-operative Group.

Russell’s work goes beyond helping people simply cope with pressure. He believes true resilience isn’t about “bouncing back”, being tougher or pretending everything is fine - it’s about springing forward with learning and becoming better equipped to lead because of the challenges you’ve faced.

His approach connects the human side of leadership directly to what matters to organisations: engaged people, stronger cultures, better decisions and improved performance. His work has delivered measurable results, including a leadership programme that returned £12 million to the business and a Resilient Leader Programme that achieved more than 1,100% ROI.

In August 2025, Russell achieved his long-held purpose of positively affecting 100,000 people.

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About this episode

Russell Harvey, known as The Resilience Coach, shares valuable insights on building resilience as a mindset and a practical skill. He challenges us to see resilience not just as recovery from setbacks but as a way to grow, learn, and move forward with purpose. Russell explores how self-awareness, intentional reflection, and recognizing patterns in our behavior can help us better understand our emotional responses and develop strategies to manage them effectively.

Throughout our conversation, Russell emphasizes the importance of maintaining energy, building support systems, and staying connected to a clear purpose. He discusses how resilience is built through small, consistent actions and the ability to embrace challenges with a balanced perspective. His approach highlights the value of grounded optimism, strategic pauses, and leveraging our strengths to navigate uncertainty with confidence and clarity.

5 Key Takeaways:

Spring Forward with Learning: Explore how resilience isn't about bouncing back but about learning and moving forward with purpose.Re-Energize Intentionally: Understand the difference between good tired and burnout, and learn how to recover effectively.Know Your Strengths: Discover how leveraging your natural strengths can fuel resilience and build confidence.Build Your Support Network: Learn why having trusted connections is essential for resilience and long-term success.Grounded Optimism: Explore how facing reality honestly creates space for true hope and meaningful action.

Resources Mentioned

The Inspire Your Team to Greatness assessment (the Courage Assessment)

How can you inspire our team to be more proactive, take ownership and get more done?

You demonstrate and empower The Courage of a Leader. In my nearly 3 decades of work with leaders, I’ve discovered the 11 things that leaders do – even very well-intentioned leaders do – that kill productivity.

In less than 10 minutes, find out where you’re empowering and inadvertently kills productivity, and get a custom report that will tell you step by step what you need to have your team get more done.

https://courageofaleader.com/inspireyourteam/

About the Guest:

Russell Harvey is a Resilience Coach, Facilitator, and Public Speaker with a mission to positively impact 100,000 people by 2025. With over 20 years of experience in Learning, Leadership, and Organisational Development, Russell helps individuals and teams build confidence, gain clarity, and drive positive change.

Using a strengths-based approach and positive psychology, Russell strikes a balance between being practical, creative, and supportive while challenging his clients to progress.

Outside of his coaching work, Russell is the Chair of Governors at a local primary school, a volunteer with Leeds Young Authors, and runs public speaking workshops for students.

https://www.theresiliencecoach.co.uk/

About the Host:

Amy L. Riley is an internationally renowned speaker, author and consultant. She has over 2 decades of experience developing leaders at all levels. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Deloitte and Barclays.

As a trusted leadership coach and consultant, Amy has worked with hundreds of leaders one-on-one, and thousands more as part of a group, to fully step into their leadership, create amazing teams and achieve extraordinary results.

Amy’s most popular keynote speeches are:

The Courage of a Leader: The Power of a Leadership LegacyThe Courage of a Leader: Create a Competitive Advantage with Sustainable, Results-Producing Cross-System CollaborationThe Courage of a Leader: Accelerate Trust with Your Team, Customers and CommunityThe Courage of a Leader: How to Build a Happy and Successful Hybrid Team

Her new book is a #1 international best-seller and is entitled, The Courage of a Leader: How to Inspire, Engage and Get Extraordinary Results.

http://www.courageofaleader.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyshoopriley

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Teaser for Next Episode

Genevieve Retzlaff, the founder and CEO of Grow Better Together, explores leadership as a journey, focusing on self-awareness, trust, vulnerability, and creating space for growth and innovation.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Inspire Your Team to Greatness Assessment (The Courage Assessment)

https://courageofaleader.com/inspireyourteam/

Guest: Russell Harvey

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