Courage Culture: Why Resilience is the Performance Engine of 2026(Featured in NZZ)
- Deniz Kayadelen
- 21 hours ago
- 2 min read
I’m incredibly honored to be a guest author for NZZ (Neue Zürcher Zeitung), one of Switzerland's most prestigious newspapers. My article, titled "Why companies will need a culture of courage in 2026 – and why resilience is the new performance engine", explores why true transformation isn't about the latest AI tool—it's about the human capacity for courage.
We live in an era where technology evolves faster than we can update our PowerPoint slides. But despite automation and AI, one truth remains: Transformation is a human process.
The Comfort Zone is the Most Dangerous Place
In my work as a Business Psychologist and extreme swimmer, I see many teams retreating into their comfort zones due to exhaustion and uncertainty. But for an organization, the comfort zone is a silent killer.
As I wrote in the NZZ piece:
Without courage, there is no innovation.
Without resilience, there is no sustainable performance.
Without real experience, there is no change.
Resilience is the New Leadership Standard
Resilience isn't just about "pushing through." It is the ability to regulate yourself under pressure, adapt quickly, and lead with clarity.
Neuroscience shows us that resilient people adapt faster to new roles and new tools. But you cannot build this resilience through theory alone. It requires embodied experience.
From Theory to Cold Water: The Blausee Experience
In the article, I shared a recent example from my "Ice Leadership Experience" at Blausee. 45 participants didn't just sit in a seminar room discussing bravery. They practiced breathwork, visualized their success, and then stepped into 3–5°C cold water together.
In that water, something magical happens that no management consultant can teach: Clarity. Presence. Trust.
It is the moment where people realize, "If I can do this, what else am I capable of?"
Why HR Needs to Shift Focus for 2026
The core message of my NZZ feature is a call to action for HR and leaders. We need to stop asking "How do we make employees more productive?" and start asking "How do we make them more resilient, courageous, and clear—so they can become productive?"
The future belongs to companies that build "Courage Cultures"—safe spaces where employees are trained to regulate uncertainty and make decisions despite fear.
Courage is trainable. Resilience grows through repetition. And transformation happens when we step out of our comfort zone.
Read the full article here
Want to go deeper?
I created a coaching booklet to help you unlock your Peak Flow — mentally and physically. Get it here at a special discount price
You can also book a free 1:1 coaching clarity call with me — no pressure, just presence, purpose, and a plan. Book your FREE session here.
Watch or listen to my podcast "Out of Comfort Zone" on Spotify and YouTube, where I dive into stories of resilience, flow, and peak performance.
And if you haven’t yet join my early bird list for my upcoming book From fear to Peak Flow, you can join here — get early access to tools and stories to help you step into your peakflow and unlock your highest potential.
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