Adaptability

Ride the waves of change rather than losing ourselves in the undertow.

"The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." - Alvin Toffler

We live in times full of changes. Globalisation, new technologies, market fluctuations, free flow of information come together as uncertain factors in today’s world. Unexpected shifts are always around the corner. We cannot cope with challenges with one golden rule because of the lack of self-/situational awareness, decision-making and communication skills, ego, and accountability. How important can being adaptable be? Very.

In the rapidly changing future, we cannot maximize success in many ways if we are unwilling and unable to respond to uncertainties. Changes are inevitable and faster than ever before. We need to master adaptability, a skill that has no bounds. It is the defining characteristic between success and failure, growth and stagnation, business and bankruptcy.

Remember, don’t wait for change to arrive on their doorstep. Treat adaptability as your muscle for survival. Lead the change, everything is possible.

The new competitive advantage when change is the New Normal.
Nature has a way to remind us that constant change is a fact. Adaptability was ranked 4th in the Linkedln Learning Top 5 soft skills needed most for 2020. Some might think that being young equals having a higher level of adaptability. Yet, it is just an assumption. Young people could be more flexible to try new things and ideas, but adaptability means more than that.

Living in an era of instability and uncertainty, adaptability is not merely a survival of the fittest. It is a set of skills that encompass one’s ability to adjust and be comfortable with changes in a volatile environment. However, bear in mind that being adaptable doesn’t mean giving up our uniqueness and cultural identity, it is indeed how we develop our capacity to adjust responses to the changing external drivers and internal processes.

True adaptability comes as a growth mindset and Andrew J. Martin of the University of New South Wales identified three components of adaptability as the adjustments to thinking, behaviour, and emotions.

In the future, it is very likely that we are going to manage unusual situations without explicit instruction. Being adaptable is about remaining open in our approaches, accepting that we may succeed or fail along the way.

According to a column in Forbes, flexibility is more a willingness to “meet others halfway procedurally” while adaptability is “a willingness to confront or change your own ideas and preconceptions”. Adaptability is a critical ability of an individual, team, or even organisation to adjust and to be flexible in order to meet different needs of the situation. These two characteristics go hand-in-hand with one another.

Driven by new challenges or changes, we have to put down the old beliefs, be curious, be willing to ask questions, and seek to understand people around us with new perspectives. Respond flexibly and positively to changes will definitely be a marked advantage for us as adaptability is not just a part of success, but also a part of life.

Responding to Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity.
Developing and strengthening adaptability skills enable us to rise above challenges and avoid barriers from holding us back. Each of us has a unique journey to raising our adaptability depending on our strengths and development areas. Demonstrating adaptability by changing our attitudes and actions empowers us to thrive in different situations. Attitude and action cannot exist without the other.

Do you remember the three components of the Adaptability Equation? Apart from that, we have found the 6 ingredients to enhance adaptability for you. Watch the video on the right and click the cards below to find out more.