Still Standing

Unlock the secrets of business resilience in this indispensable survival guide

In a world of disruption and uncertainty, Still Standing: What It Takes to Thrive and Innovate in a Messy World by Cherry Rose Tan emerges as a beacon of resilience, offering the essential strategies for navigating the pressures of building and leading our organizations into the future. Drawing on her vast experience as a veteran entrepreneur, speaker, and advisor, #REALTALK founder Cherry Rose Tan provides a roadmap for cultivating the mindset, heartset, and skillset necessary for enduring success. Her impact on the mental health movement within the tech industry has been nothing short of revolutionary, helping leaders come to grips with the real stress and pressures associated with their daily work.

In the book, you'll learn how to:

• Cultivate a resilient workplace culture that embraces change and innovation, battle tested with 40,000 leaders across 27 verticals
• Master tough conversations, learning how to effectively communicate with yourself, your team, and key stakeholders to execute in difficult environments
• Empower yourself and your team with actionable strategies, combining leadership wisdom and practical tools drawn from the crucible of real-world entrepreneurship

Still Standing is not just a book; it's a tactical roadmap for businesses and their leaders, who are determined to create everyday resilience in the face of constant change. Whether you're seeking to enhance your leadership skills, navigate the challenges of business, or manage workplace burnout and wellbeing, this book offers the insights and strategies needed to thrive and innovate in these uncertain times. Join Cherry Rose Tan in exploring the three capabilities that will empower you to not just survive, but flourish in the competitive world of business and innovation.

Foreword xi

Introduction xiii

Chapter 1 Why realtalk? 1

Chapter 2 Brave New World 17

Part I The First Conversation 39

Chapter 3 Stability 41

Chapter 4 Integrity 61

Chapter 5 Workability 79

Part II The Second Conversation 97

Chapter 6 Awareness 99

Chapter 7 Compassion 117

Chapter 8 Forgiveness 135

Part III The Third Conversation 153

Chapter 9 Identity 155

Chapter 10 Reclamation 175

Chapter 11 Sovereignty 197

Chapter 12 Being the Bridge 219

Acknowledgments 237

About the Author 241

References 243

Index 253

CHERRY ROSE TAN is a fifth-generation entrepreneur and a startup investor. As the Entrepreneur in Residence at the Schulich School of Business, York University, she advises an ecosystem of 250 startups and 3,000 members. Tan is also an Innovation and Mental Health Speaker, working with clients to build the future of their organization, without burning out along the way.

In Still Standing: What It Takes to Thrive and Innovate in a Messy World, veteran entrepreneur and resilience expert Cherry Rose Tan delivers an inspiring and necessary discussion of what it takes to build a successful organization without succumbing to the intense pressures of disruption and uncertainty. #REALTALK founder Cherry Rose Tan explains how to have the tough conversations—with yourself, your team, and key stakeholders—that must happen to secure the future, while withstanding the challenges you’ll inevitably encounter as your business evolves.

An insightful combination of leadership and communication advice drawn from real-world entrepreneurship, this book empowers you to become the leader who unlocks the full potential of your team and your collaborators. It contains the key strategies, the practical exercises, and the unvarnished, sometimes uncomfortable, truths that form the bedrock of every successful leader and their business resilience.

Still Standing is based on Tan’s conversations with 40,000 entrepreneurs and leaders from around the world, who shared their most difficult struggles in surviving the competitive world of business. This book contains the tools and techniques, and the step-by-step framework, for bringing real talk into your life, your workplace, and your home. It will help you create a healthy, adaptive, and resilient workplace culture that powers organizational success.

An essential and timely playbook for creating everyday resilience, Still Standing is a must-read for entrepreneurs, founders, executives, managers, directors, and other business leaders intent on winning in profoundly challenging business environments. It will also prove invaluable for the coaches, consultants, and other professionals who serve business leaders in their daily lives, as well as the family members and friends who just want to see them succeed.

Praise for STILL STANDING

“The performance of every business leader hinges on their ability to respond quickly and clearly. Still Standing gives leaders the ability to adapt by using their most underutilized asset: tough conversations.”
—DAN MARTELL, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Buy Back Your Time

“Still Standing was written with entrepreneurs and leaders in mind. A practical resource, this book gives leaders the tools to thrive and to lean into the tough conversations that unlock our greatness.”
—GIOVANNI MARSICO, three-time Emmy-winning producer and Founder and CEO at Archangel

“Still Standing is needed at a time when business leaders, especially founders, are navigating tough times. Being a founder is a rollercoaster ride, and in the most difficult times, there are few resources available. This book is genuine, uplifting, but most of all, empowering to those who need more real talk in their lives.”
—BEDY YANG, Managing Partner at 500 Global

“This book is an important contribution to our innovation ecosystem. Cherry Rose Tan gives business leaders the actionable frameworks to build their resilience, so they can thrive in the workplace for years to come.”
—BRICE SCHESCHUK, Managing Partner at Globalive Capital and Co-Founder and CFO at WIND Mobile

“Having spent over 20 years as an entrepreneur, operator, and now VC, I can attest to the critical importance of workplace mental health, and yet how often this is overlooked or brushed aside. Still Standing is an honest and compassionate look at the conversations founders and leaders need to have today to ensure long-term health and vitality.”
—JANET BANNISTER, Founder and Managing Partner at Staircase Ventures