Entrepreneurs are well-acquainted with the skill of adaptability. We have to move quick on our feet, rising up to meet last-minute opportunities, unexpected complications, and eleventh-hour course changes. As a skill, adaptability has been highlighted as a necessity as we move through unprecedented times, working out how to work effectively in challenging and ever-changing circumstances.
Adaptability is a “soft skill” — something that is learned through experience, rather than taught.
Whether you’re looking to hire in the future or on the job hunt now, it’s critical that you place high value on adaptability. This isn’t just because we’re in the midst of a global pandemic that is turning our world, our jobs and personal lives, all topsy-turvy. It is also because the nature of the world today is fast-paced and constantly innovating. As Lt. General Rick Lynch titled his iconic book on leadership...Adapt or die.
There are ways that we, as leaders, workers, and entrepreneurs, can better hone our skills of adaptability. Here’s how.
6 Ways to Increase Your Adaptability
1) Stay Curious
Adaptable people are infinitely curious individuals. Curiosity demands that we are always looking for new information, new revelations, ideas, and solutions. It means we question the way things are and look to make them better. Curiosity asks, “is this the best way?” and seeks out every avenue and answer.
When we stay curious, we’re willing to open ourselves up to new possibilities, ask the big questions, and push ourselves past our own understanding.
2) Practice Persistence
A key complement to adaptability is persistence. Persistence means we don’t quit when things don’t work out. Maybe your weight-loss journey is at a stand-still. Don’t quit. Maybe your work performance is suffering. Don’t give up. Maybe your last project blew up in your face. Keep trying. The art of persistence builds adaptability and resilience as we embrace trial-and-error in pursuit of great results.
Be willing to fail, get up, and fail again.
3) Control Your Response
Self-control is the cornerstone of adaptability. If we want to be quick on our feet, we can’t waste time managing out-of-control emotions and knee-jerk reactions. While we might not be able to change our circumstances, we can all control our own response. Your response to difficult, challenging, and unexpected circumstances speaks volumes about your capability to be adaptable.
Practice managing your emotions, particularly when dealing with frustrating people or situations. When you do this, you will be able to develop the flexibility to work through any environmental, personal, or professional challenge.
4) Dip Into the Unknown
I talk a lot about continuing education. Most of the time, this refers to the field in which you work. Be up on the current industry standards and innovations. But more than that, you can grow your adaptability by pushing yourself into new industries and genres. This isn’t to say you forsake your current path — but it means you learn something new about an area of work or life that you don’t know much about. It’s learning about car repair, or gardening, or baking. It’s listening to a podcast about psychology or economics or some other area of life you find yourself unfamiliar with.
A willingness to learn about and try new things translates beautifully into adaptability.
5) Find Your Stretch Zone
The “stretch zone” is between one’s comfort zone and a fight-or-flight response. If you want to foster an adaptable mindset and work ethic, it’s important to live more in that “stretch zone.” This is where you make low-stakes decisions that edge you out of your comfort zone — into new experiences, methodology, and ways of thinking.
These situations can be as low-stake as trying a new restaurant or ordering something new. It may be trying out a new hobby or dipping into a new genre of entertainment. These are easy, low-risk ways to push yourself to grow accustomed and comfortable with change and new experiences. The greater that comfort, the more adaptable you become.
6) Brainstorm Solutions
When adaptable people encounter a problem, they immediately turn to potential solutions. People who are rigid shut down under the belief that it will end badly. This negativity kills innovation and the potential for new ideas. Stay positive, first of all, and second, when encountering any obstacle, spend time brainstorming possible solutions and strategies.
The ability to tackle a problem from multiple angles is an essential part of one’s ability to adjust and adapt to the unexpected.
How does adaptability benefit you in your own life and career? Share in the comments.