Real-life resilience - The Maple Leafs

Sometimes the biggest win isn’t the trophy. This past weekend, as England beat Canada 33-13 to lift the Women’s Rugby World Cup, the real story was how the Canadian women’s 15s (known as The Maple Leafs) got there at all.

The Canadian team is actually ranked 2nd in the world for women’s rugby, but they lack the same level of funding of rugby powerhouses like England and New Zealand. And without that money, they couldn’t afford extended training camps, overseas warm-up matches, or the recovery and coaching support needed to match their more financially-equipped rivals.

Rugby Canada provided the team with $2.6m for the World Cup mission but, when everyone did the numbers, a legitimate shot at victory would require another $1m. So the team doubled down and go to work, launching a public campaign and mission statement: “Mission: Win the Rugby World Cup” which included the ambitious target of raising the extra million to give them the best chance of victory.

And Canadians answered. As the tournament kicked off, the team had achieved 95% of the target which was enough to pay for international camps, pre-tournament test matches, and extra preparation to get them as ready as possible.

And when the whistle blew in the semi-final last weekend, those investments paid off. Canada stunned the defending champions, the New Zealand Black Ferns, 34-19, which was one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history. This earnt Canada the spot in the final.

Sometimes the most powerful resilience stories start long before the big stage, and despite what the movies tell us, often there isn’t the fairytale ending. Yes, the story would have been even more wonderful had they have secured the Cup over England, but it wasn’t to be this time round.

But, as always, it’s the journey and not the destination that really matters. And it rings true with these women. The collective mission, the camaraderie, the meeting of many moments, it all helps us learn and grow as human beings. And to make it to any final is to risk devastation in defeat….. but it’s always worth it.

Resilience is built before the test.

Most people meet adversity and then start scrambling as best as they can. The Canadian squad flipped that order. They had a clear view of the hard road and built their capacity in advance. It started with the fundraising, and then it grew into heavy tests to prepare for the best.

This approach mirrors what I call preventative resilience. Instead of waiting for the crisis, we create the habits, resources, and relationships that will help us get through when the pressure arrives.

Whether we’re leading a team through layoffs, launching a product on a razor-thin budget, or balancing family and career, their example is a demonstration of three essential moves.

1. Name the gap. Resilience begins with an honest gap analysis. We can’t reinforce what we won’t admit is weak. The team knew Rugby Canada’s base budget wasn’t enough so they put a real number on the shortfall. $1 million. Crystal clear. It sounds basic to name the target, but how often do we start work without any real sense of what we’re trying to actually achieve? To practice this in reality, let’s take one major goal (a promotion, a new market, a sales target) and write down every resource it truly needs: time, skills, money, emotional energy etc. There will be gaps, and we must be transparent about them. Only then can we create a concrete action for each. It could be upskilling, finding a mentor, or something as mundane as deciding how to best communicate.

2. Train beyond the comfort zone. The nervous system adapts to what it repeatedly faces. When we do hard things in advance, it helps the real event feel like familiar territory. The additional funds went to extra test matches in South Africa and Ireland. These were intentionally high-stress rehearsals against solid teams that stretched the squad before the world was watching. We can try this with our own stretch rehearsals which can be practice runs before big deals, gearing up for major presentations, or prepping for difficult conversations. It’s especially good to add in deliberate constraints such as shorter prep time, tougher audience questions, or a dry run with a critical friend.

3. Build our circle of support. Resilience blossoms with stronger networks. The list of financial contributors, from small-town donors to national sponsors, turned financial stress into a shared mission. And amazing things can happen when we just ask for what we need. It’s not charity if it’s for a greater purpose and mission, but if we don’t ask, we will never get. Monty Python did this when they asked rockstars to fund a film, so did Canada. Think about the people outside our immediate team or family who could help us weather a storm, share the mission, and then ask for help.

If we believe in the fairy-tale endings, it feels like resilience is a bit of magic. But it’s never magic - it’s always math and mindset. Preparation and belief.

The same principles apply when we have to lead a business through a challenging time, prepare our career for technological disruption, or navigate any other major challenges. In each case, we need to identify the gap, train for the storm, and weave a bigger net.
These are the habits that help us not just survive, but to get in the best position to win!

Until next time friends, stay resilient.

Carré @ Resilient Minds

PS - getting ready for Black Friday, Christmas holidays and other busy periods, it’s worthwhile preparing the teams for stress. A workshop or webinar is a great way to have them ready for the test. Reply here for some more info on how to support your team.