What Adaptability can’t do for you

Research has quantifiably confirmed what you already know:

• adaptability is a key leadership skill
• it’s not a skill most people are very good at
• the world is only going to change more and more, not less and less

And yet, despite all that, it’s the one skill that – statistically at least – your organisation is almost certainly doing nothing proactive to develop (other than throwing people into the path of more and more oncoming projects).

There’s good news from all this though:

• you’re in the majority and – as any sheep surrounded by his mates on a truck will tell you – that provides a reassuring sense of security
• you’re still trading – which proves that everything you’ve done in the past and are doing now will sustain you into the future – because it has so far, and
• not challenging anyone to become more adaptable means that no-one has had to be made to take the uncomfortable step of leaving their comfort zone, which would be unkind and difficult

And in any case, there are some very tried and trusted reasons why your organisation is one of the majority that isn’t developing a culture of adaptability:

• it’s so hard to make that connection between soft skills development and a return on investment to the bottom line, right? Well actually, there’s jaw-dropping research that quantifies the financial benefits of adaptability
• you don’t have time, especially as it takes so long to overcome the same amount of inertia every time you start a new project
• you have so many other priorities on your training and development budget. If only there was one skill you could learn that would give you a mindset that was more open to all other learning, giving your entire L&D budget a better ROI

Life is full of surprises. That email from the headhunter; that phone-call from the hospital; that night you met your spouse; that day you were let go.

Being ‘more adaptable’ wouldn’t have helped you predict ANY of it.

But it does give you the confidence to face whatever happens next, safe in the knowledge that it's sure to kick and hug you (and your strategy) in ways you can't even imagine today.

You understand the value of adaptability and the need for your organisation to be better at it. The only mystery then is why you’re not already changing how you prepare your people for change.

Rich Alderton is an Adaptability Intelligence specialist, so if you’d like to learn how to become more adaptable why not call us on 07873 823 800, email us or complete our enquiry form?