Amplify Your Aptitude for Adaptability

Change is always happening. It’s a fact of life. And as a business owner or leader in your organization, one of your primary roles is managing change, requiring you to be adaptable in the face of ever-presenting changes. So how agile are you? Answer this honestly because how well you exercise your aptitude for adaptability is directly tied to your ability to reframe, reset and respond in ways that move you out of ruts, drive change and get results.

Here are some questions to help explore this topic and get clarity around your ability to adapt.

Are you committed to a growth mindset? Great leaders know they don’t own all the answers. They must seek out hard truths, which includes building awareness around their deficits and addressing shortcomings, whether giving up habits that don’t serve them or embracing new ones that do. As a leader, this growth mindset may include skilling up around aspects of their leadership (e.g., emotional intelligence) or adopting a new system for management and performance that feels initially uncomfortable but provides vital structure and accountability.

Take action: Tap into the power of leadership assessments, performance improvement reviews, and team feedback to clarify opportunities for professional development, or change.

Are you afraid to course correct? You’ve heard the old adage: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. Yet many organizations stick to what’s familiar even when they’re staring down an oncoming storm, then find themselves stuck and struggling when storm hits. Best to put down the sails, take in the situation and prep for a new direction, with the right people in the right places to take the new course head on.

Take action: Prepare contingency business plans for key aspects of your organization, which you can pull out and use when setbacks or surprises surface. Use these plans to navigate course correction, knowing such tools can provide guidance and mitigate fear in the face of sudden change.

Do you regularly seek new ways of support? This could be as straightforward as delegating more often and to more people the responsibilities that are not vital to your leadership duties. Or it could be a broader undertaking, such as leaning on a leadership development program or coach to bring in more discipline, accountability and results to yourself, your team and your organization.

Take action: Pick three to five habits to address (or bring into your leadership style), leaning on professional executive coaching to help hold you accountable. Roll out these changes in ways that are manageable, not overwhelming.

Build your aptitude for adaptability this year. Start preparing now—contact MAP Consulting today!