Resilient brands thrive better in times of chaos

In her seminal book Thinking in Systems, Donella Meadows offers a definition of resilience that is particularly enlightening in the current climate of political, economic and technological turmoil. Resilience, she writes, is “a measure of a system’s ability to survive and persist within a variable environment.” It is not about rigidity or resistance to change. On the contrary, resilience is a form of strength that comes from adaptability, flexibility, and the ability to reorganise while maintaining identity.

This concept is often confused with stability—but the two are not the same. Stability is about staying the same, about resisting fluctuation and returning to equilibrium as quickly as possible. Resilience is different. It is about absorbing disturbance without collapsing. It is the ability to bend without breaking. And, crucially, it is what allows a system to continue to evolve over time, even under pressure.

Meadows’ insight is that resilience is not only a property of ecosystems or engineered structures—it applies to all kinds of systems: biological, ecological, economic, organisational and social. The human immune system is resilient when it learns to fight off new viruses. An economy is resilient when it can adapt to shocks without collapsing. A society is resilient when it preserves its essential functions in the face of disruption.

And so is a brand.

a brand is a system

A brand is often thought of as a label, a logo or a marketing construct. But in its most strategic understanding, a brand is a system. It is made of signals, stories, relationships and expectations. It has a purpose, an architecture, and a way to interact with its environment. And like any system, it can be analysed through the lens of resilience.

A personal brand, in particular, lives and evolves at the intersection of identity and environment. It is not a façade. It is not an act. It is a system that reflects who we are, how we deliver value, and how we connect with others. It emerges from the coherence between internal clarity (values, vision, expertise) and external expression (reputation, influence, emotional connection). And that coherence is exactly what makes a brand recognisable even when it evolves.

the risk of confusing coherence with rigidity

Too often, we try to stabilise our brand: we create a polished image, write a perfect tagline, curate our presence to the point of petrification. But if we look at brands through the lens of systems thinking, we see that a truly strategic brand should not seek stability—it should seek resilience.

This means accepting that things will change. The context will shift. Crises will emerge. Public opinion will swing. Algorithms will evolve. And we, as professionals, will change too. Our priorities, skills, roles, and ambitions will evolve as we move through different phases of life and work. A stable brand—the one that never moves—is in danger of becoming irrelevant.

A resilient brand, instead, holds on to its core meaning while allowing its expressions to shift. It adapts to new platforms, reframes its message, revisits its audience, and finds new ways to create value. It is alive.

Let’s take the case of a sustainability expert. Her brand has been built on helping businesses implement environmental strategies through frameworks like ESG and SDG. For years, these terms opened doors and helped establish credibility. But today, the cultural and political climate has shifted—particularly in the United States, where backlash against these concepts has made some leaders wary of using them publicly.

If her brand were rigid—based on a narrow set of expressions and terminology—it might now feel outdated or, worse, face active resistance. But if it is resilient, she can maintain her core identity (promoting sustainability and long-term value creation) while adapting the language, references and platforms she uses to reach her audience. She can speak of future fitness, regenerative strategies or resilience itself—without abandoning the essence of her message. That is adaptive coherence.

resilient brands in turbulent times

If you are building or managing your personal brand today, ask yourself whether it is resilient. Consider these signals:

• Is your brand recognisable even when your role changes?

• Can your brand absorb external shocks without losing meaning?

• Do you have multiple touchpoints (digital, physical, relational) through which your brand stays alive and present, even when one channel weakens?

• Can you revise your story without betraying your identity?

In chaotic times, the brands that survive are those that can reshape without losing their soul.

resilience is a mindset

You should build and manage your brand with a resilience mindset. That means:

• Don't aim for perfect alignment. Aim for adaptive coherence.

• Don’t freeze your image. Curate your evolution.

• Don’t chase stability. Design for dynamic consistency.

The world is chaotic. It is fast, noisy, unstable. But your brand doesn't need to be. It needs to be recognisable, relevant, and ready.