Beyond resilience. Building hope, belonging and systems we thrive in.

Leadership today is no longer about performance. It is about restoring hope, connection and shared purpose in a fractured world.

In our current world, where division thrives, hope can easily fade. It is not because humans require more ‘resilience’, it is because the systems in which we live and work are failing to meet our most basic human needs.

What happens to wellbeing when people stop having hope? When do they stop believing that the future can be better or feel that their future is no longer in their hands?

In today’s world, big pharma and the wellness industry are billion-dollar industries. Big pharma tells us a pill will make it all better, and the endless supply of wellness coaches and experts tell us we need to eat more protein, sleep eight hours, exercise daily and take a mountain of supplements to feel ok. These strategies can be helpful; however, they often position wellbeing as an individual problem to be ‘fixed’ rather than a collective issue shaped by our environments.

Wellbeing across our society is under real strain.

 In Australia, one in five people experiences a mental health condition each year, and nearly half of young adults are struggling (National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2020-2022 | Australian Bureau of Statistics). Loneliness, stress and burnout are no longer the exception; they are the norm. This isn’t about individual resilience falling short; it’s a signal that the systems and environments we live and work in are no longer supporting people in thriving.

Resilience is a term that is overused and unintentionally causes more damage to our collective wellbeing than intended. 

When resilience and individual ‘fixes’ are framed as the primary solution to our wellbeing crisis, responsibility is placed back onto individuals without any attention to the systems in which they live.

We medicate distress, encourage people to manage better, and outsource responsibility to the wellbeing industry. While these approaches may offer short-term relief, they rarely lead to sustainable change.

So, if resilience and more employee assistance programs aren’t the whole answer, what are we missing?

In a world of complexity, the answer may lie in the simplicity of our humanness.

When we look at basic human needs and the current environments we live in, we can quickly see stark gaps in meeting them.

Belonging- to feel part of something. Not just included, however, needed.

Agency- to recognise we have a voice, feel we can use this voice for influence and have an impact when we use it.

Connection- to have real and meaningful relationships, not transactional ones.

Meaning and purpose- to know why we exist and why our efforts matter.

Hope- to believe that our future can be better and we are part of that future.

When these needs aren’t met, people start looking for substitutes.

These substitutes often cause significant harm to us individually and collectively.

Over-consumption.

Burnout.

Disconnection.

Polarisation

Anxiety.

As we enter 2026, society is facing a fundamental crisis of wellbeing. Many people are just surviving, not thriving, moving through life with little stability or optimism, and the impact on individuals and society is abundantly clear.

Too often, we continue to treat wellbeing as an individual issue, further isolating, shaming and stigmatising those who suffer. We see social problems as “someone else’s problem.” We blame, minimise, and justify, deepening division.

If we are serious about improving wellbeing, we must shift our thinking, away from constant diagnosis and towards shared responsibility. This requires us to rethink how wellbeing is approached across workplaces, schools, institutions and communities.

What if, instead of trying to fix people, we focused on rebuilding the bridges between people, purpose and possibility?

From those in power to those most impacted by the wicked social problems, everyone will benefit from improving our collective wellbeing.

On a societal level, reduced imprisonment and crime rates, reduced family violence, and reduced long-term public costs can be redirected to education, health and community infrastructure.

Strengthened trust, innovation and stronger communities.

In the workplace, the benefits are equally clear. Reduced absenteeism, fewer work cover claims, reduced staff turnover and greater productivity contribute to greater profit margins.

And for individuals, contributing to building these bridges, even in the smallest way, they rediscover meaning. They learn about themselves. They connect with others. And hope returns.

However, individuals alone cannot bear responsibility for building the bridges. Workplaces play a significant role in enabling them to do so.

Workplaces are one of the last shared social structures we have. They bring together people who might never otherwise meet and offer enormous potential when collective skills, resources, and energy are aligned around a shared purpose.

Research has shown that when employees feel connected, valued and supported in their workplace, the benefits are tangible: organisations that prioritise wellbeing report up to 20 % higher productivity, while firms that foster a “culture of health” see employee turnover rates about 11 % lower than those that don’t (The ROI on employee health: what a worldwide study can teach us | Work Healthy Australia).

Strong, unified workplace cultures are linked to higher engagement, better retention and improved organisational outcomes. According to the 2025 Randstad Workmonitor report, 83% of Australian workers perform better when they feel a sense of belonging at work, and organisations that prioritise this connection tend to enjoy higher retention, reduced recruitment costs, and greater productivity.  Leadership plays a key role in fostering workplace wellbeing. Research shows that when strong cultural values are communicated and embodied by leaders, employees are 4.3 times more likely to be engaged at work. (What Is Organisational Culture, and Why Does It Matter? - Gallup).

Whilst research has long shown the relationship between workplace wellbeing and organisational outputs, what if we expanded our view of what workplaces can be? What if they are vehicles for connection, contribution and hope, and pillars that enable the bridges between people, communities and possibility to be built?

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept that has gained significant traction over the past 2000s. “Throughout the 90s and into the early 2000s, the rhetoric of CSR began to shift from minimising local harm to tackling global issues.” (The Evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility). CSR is often treated as something organisations do for others. What if it also became something that fosters the wellbeing of those within these organisations at the same time?

This does not have to be an impossible dream.

I am not suggesting that CEOs, Directors, and those in positions of responsibility are solely responsible for saving the world. Instead, I am inviting leaders and those in positions of influence to recognise that their impact extends beyond organisational boundaries. Their decisions shape not only business outcomes, but the environments in which people find connection, purpose and hope.

Throughout my time working in the not-for-profit sector, I’ve had a strong belief that meaningful connections between the corporate world and the community are essential to creating cohesion in society. I now see the potential for these connections to go beyond cohesiveness and become a catalyst for transformative social change. Supporting those who are most vulnerable, while also offering ways to fulfil the human needs of people in corporate environments who are grappling with the pressures and disconnection of our current world.

When workplace wellbeing is considered alongside corporate social responsibility, it is easy to see the immense benefits that could be gained for the company, its workforce and the community around them. Beyond this, it is the ripples of this impact that generate hope and create change for all of humanity.

As we enter a new working year, I urge you to reflect on a few simple questions.

1.      Where do people in your company/organisation/institution find real belonging?

2.      How do we give our workforce an authentic voice and opportunities to contribute?

3.      How could we connect our work to something that genuinely serves the broader community and is of importance to our employees?

These questions are not only for those in leadership positions. They are for all of us. Meaningful change occurs when it’s supported from the top and nurtured from the ground up.

Wellbeing is not the responsibility of a single person or department, nor is it simply about building resilience. It is about creating hope and enabling people to feel connected to something bigger than themselves.

When we shift from individualism to collectivism, everyone benefits.

Whilst it takes everyone to be part of that change, it is leaders and those in positions of influence who have a rare opportunity to recognise the value of approaches that unify people, and to create the environments where collective wellbeing can flourish.