Why adaptability could be the key to better leadership

At any given time, several internal and external variables can impact a business. National and international economies shift, socio-political events arise, customer demands change, new technologies emerge, organizational restructuring occurs…the list of uncontrollables can be extensive. Without the skill of adaptability, leaders may struggle to successfully guide organizations through these changes.

Adaptability helps leaders respond to change with patience and professionalism. And because it’s a skill, adaptability must be nurtured and practiced to keep this particular sense sharp. Let’s explore what adaptability looks like in the workplace and tips for improving this skill.

Learning to Embrace Change

Our ability to connect with other parts of the world through commerce, communication, and collaboration makes adaptability a necessary tool in every business leader’s skill set. The more businesses interact on a global level, the more change and potential challenges they’re bound to experience. Research from McKinsey indicates that, “[Adaptability] is the critical success factor during periods of transformation and systemic change. It allows us to be faster and better at learning, and it orients us toward the opportunities ahead, not just the challenges.”

Jason Feifer, editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur Magazine, sees immense opportunity in embracing change. As the author of “Build for Tomorrow: An Action Plan for Embracing Change, Adapting Fast, and Future-Proofing Your Career,” explained, “I found that the most successful people — people who had built incredible companies and had been building for a very long time — what defined them was their ability to adapt, to see changes coming, and react to them before they were forced to.”

By developing a sense of themselves that extends beyond their specific job title or typical responsibilities, leaders are empowered to pivot more easily. Feifer notes that these leaders defined themselves by their ability to adapt, which made anticipating change easier and embracing change less problematic. In short, adaptability made them more resilient when leading teams through periods of uncertainty.

Ways To Practice Adaptability at Work

Even for CEOs and senior leaders, whose schedules can change daily, it’s often easier to default to behaviors and patterns that they’re comfortable with. What’s familiar is efficient, and people may think they’ve already found the best solutions simply because they’re the way they’ve always done things.

However, there are opportunities every day to think differently, if people are prepared to look for them. Leaders can improve their problem-solving skills by taking another look at a common challenge, identifying the root of the problem, and taking time to consider other ways of moving forward. Practice looking at challenges from multiple viewpoints to find new and different solutions.

Here are a few other tips for making adaptability one of your strengths:

Engage in proactive learning. Acquire new knowledge and skills, particularly as they relate to your industry. If you’re already in the habit of doing this, pursue new subjects outside of your industry to help foster creativity and innovation.

Embrace change. Expect that things will change. Problem solving can help you see change as an opportunity for more interesting solutions or processes. Remember that growth often follows change, especially if you practice seeing it that way.

Develop open-mindedness. Ask “why?” more often than “what?”. “Why is this the way we do things?” “Why is this a problem?” “Why are they our supplier?” Listen to other team members or mentors to learn, not to immediately make a judgment. Build relationships with a wide range of colleagues to invite more perspectives and experiences into your realm of understanding.

By consistently practicing adaptability, leaders can become more comfortable with change and take advantage of opportunities that others may not be ready to see.