Russell Harvey

Russell Harvey, widely known as The Resilience Coach, is a seasoned Leadership Coach, Facilitator, and Public Speaker with over 20 years of expertise in Leadership and Organizational Development. For the past 18 years, he has specialized in helping individuals and organizations build resilience, especially in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments. Russell has impacted over 43,000 lives and aims to reach 100,000 by 2025. His approach blends challenge, reflection, and playfulness, guiding clients to rediscover their motivation and unlock their potential. Russell’s coaching has transformed leaders at NHS, BT, Morrisons, and more. He is also the Chair of Governors at a primary school and a volunteer with Leeds Young Authors. With deep empathy, clarity, and actionable insights, Russell empowers leaders to thrive during change.

In this empowering episode of Talking with the Experts, host Rose Davidson is joined by Russell Harvey, globally known as The Resilience Coach. Together, they unpack what it truly means to lead with resilience in an ever-changing, high-pressure world.

Russell brings 20+ years of experience in Leadership, Learning, and Organizational Development—and 18 years specializing in resilience. He shares practical tools, reflective exercises, and key leadership strategies for navigating the VUCA world: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity.

From coaching CEOs to training frontline managers, Russell’s insights are grounded, applicable, and inspiring. You’ll discover how modern leadership requires emotional intelligence, clarity in chaos, and an unwavering commitment to personal and professional growth.

🎯 Learn how to stay grounded during business uncertainty
🎯 Understand the mindset shifts that foster sustainable resilience
🎯 Gain tools to reflect, adapt, and lead powerfully

This episode is a must-listen for leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone aiming to lead with authenticity and strength.

💡 Three Key Points from the Interview:

1. How to build resilience and lead effectively in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world.
2. Practical techniques to reflect, adapt, and thrive during business challenges.
3. The role of self-awareness and emotional intelligence in modern leadership.

Introduction of Russell Harvey

• Russell Harvey is introduced as the resilience coach, a dynamic leadership coach, facilitator, and public speaker with over 20 years of experience in leadership learning and organizational development.
• He specializes in resilience and navigating volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA).
• Russell has been passionate about empowering people to thrive in today’s unpredictable world for the past 18 years.
• His mission is to positively impact 100,000 lives by 2025, having already made a difference to over 78,212 individuals. 

Russell’s Background

• Russell has always been interested in human behaviour, focusing on why humans do or don’t do certain things.
• They have spent most of their career in learning, leadership development, and organizational development.
• Russell became ‘the resilience coach’ nearly 10 years ago following their experience at the Co-op Group in the UK.
• During their time at the Co-op, the business faced serious challenges leading senior leaders to seek guidance.
• This experience led to specializing in helping leaders navigate themselves and others through challenging, unpredictable environments.
• Russell lives in Leeds, UK, with their spouse and enjoys traveling. 

Mastering Resilience as a Modern Leader

• Russell emphasizes that mastering resilience requires consistent effort and engagement.
• They introduce the concept of a ‘resilience wheel’ with seven components.
• To build resilience, one must engage with each aspect of the resilience wheel continuously throughout life.
• As resilience grows, what was once viewed as a challenge may no longer be perceived as such due to improved coping abilities.
• The resilience wheel is based on research from Robertson Cooper, with two additional aspects added from personal experience. 

Practical Tools for Building Resilience

• Russell stresses the importance of holding conversations around optimism but cautions against toxic positivity.
• Optimism grounded in reality requires emotional intelligence, empathy, and compassion.
• An optimistic conversation involves discussing difficult topics without spiralling into negativity while also acknowledging strengths and capabilities.
• This approach leads to genuine hope and a positive outlook on facing challenges.
• Russell emphasizes adaptability as another key dimension of resilience.
• They distinguish between adaptability (openness to change) and agility (quickly making behaviour changes).
• Practical tips for building adaptability include doing things differently in daily life, such as taking a different route to work or using a different coffee cup.
• Engaging with people who have different value systems and being open to differing opinions is also recommended. 

Definition of Resilience

• Russell defines resilience as ‘springing forward with learning’ rather than ‘bouncing back.’
• This definition emphasizes the importance of pausing to reflect on life events and learning from experiences.
• Reflection should focus on identifying behaviours that are serving well and those that aren’t, with the goal of doing more of beneficial behaviours.
• The learning process should align with one’s purpose, which is itself a dimension of resilience.
• Resilience involves recovering from adverse events and challenges, requiring time and engagement with the resilience wheel to restore energy and recuperate. 

Growth Mindset and Resilience

• Russell references Carol S. Dweck’s work on growth mindset, emphasizing the importance of an ‘I don’t know how to do that yet’ mentality.
• Resilient individuals understand that life isn’t fair but can find good in unpleasant situations and model optimism. 

VUCA Model

• VUCA stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity.
• It originated in a military context and was introduced to the business world in the 1990s.
• This model provides a framework for understanding why change is constant and how to face it.
• The counteraction to VUCA is VUCA Prime: Vision, Understanding, Clarity, and Agility.
• This framework helps businesses understand how to grow and utilize this understanding of constant change. 

Importance of Openness to Change in Business

• Russell discusses the importance of businesses being open to change and new ideas.
• They note that some businesses embrace change while others resist it, often to their detriment.
• Openness to change can vary within an organization, with some teams or individuals being more receptive than others. 

Impact of Leadership on Employee Well-being

• Russell mentions that about 80% of an employee’s response to ‘How are you?’ is influenced by their relationship with their line manager.
• They highlight the significant responsibility leaders have in shaping team members’ well-being and job satisfaction. 

Final Advice on Resilience

• Russell emphasizes the importance of playing to one’s strengths as a key aspect of building resilience.
• They advise individuals to identify activities they enjoy and find energizing, as these likely align with their strengths.
• The recommendation is to focus on and increase time spent on these energizing activities rather than solely trying to improve weaknesses.
• A strengths-based approach is a significant part of resilience coaching and often surprises clients used to focusing on improving weaknesses. 

Russell’s Resources

• Russell’s website (theresiliencecoach.co.uk) offers a podcast series covering all aspects of the resilience wheel, numerous blogs on leadership and management, and information about resilience and VUCA.
• They are active on social media, sharing videos and tips about resilience and leadership.
• Russell encourages people to connect and provide feedback on what they find helpful, as part of their goal to positively impact 100,000 lives.

• Introduction of Russell Harvey as a resilience coach with over 20 years of experience in leadership and organizational development, aiming to impact 100,000 lives by 2025.
• Discussion on the concept of resilience and the introduction of the resilience wheel, a tool with seven aspects to help individuals build and grow their resilience.
• Emphasis on the importance of holding optimistic conversations grounded in reality as a practical tool for building resilience, avoiding toxic positivity.
• Explanation of the difference between adaptability and agility, and the importance of being open to change and trying new things to enhance resilience.
• Introduction of the concept of ‘springing forward with learning’ as a definition of resilience, emphasizing the importance of aligning learning with personal purpose.
• Discussion on the VUCA model (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) and its counterpart VUCA Prime (Vision, Understanding, Clarity, Agility) as frameworks for understanding and navigating constant change.
• Emphasis on the importance of being open to change, ideas, and suggestions for business growth, and the impact of line manager relationships on employee well-being.
• Advice on playing to one’s strengths as a way to build natural resilience and confidence, and the importance of focusing on tasks that energize individuals.

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