Pacesetter Matrix - Adaptability
Outstanding leaders embrace change and innovation. Today’s dynamic world means we will see more change in the next 10 years than we have in the last 100. Adaptability is the ability to be versatile, resilient to uncertainty, and optimistic about the future. Adaptability requires an ability to positively alter your mindset and your actions, often in ways that are initially uncomfortable or even stressful, to conquer new challenges.
Adaptability ranked 4th in the top soft skills needed most for 2020. Determined by the skills that are in the highest demand (based on hiring rate) relative to the supply of people who have those skills
Adaptable people are often described as:
Empathetic
Open-minded
Resilient
Good listeners
Team players
Creative problem-solvers
The benefits of being adaptable:
Embrace challenges better - Working without boundaries, and being open to finding diverse and unexpected solutions to problems. Without limitations on your thinking and actions, challenges become opportunities to seize.
Better leadership - Great leaders know that change is inevitable, and they don’t shy away from it. They remain positive in the face of adversity, keeping their teams and focused and motivated through challenging periods
Stress reduction – Fear of the unknown is a major stress factor. When people have good adaptability skills, they feel much less stressed about an uncertain future
Job Satisfaction – Stagnation leads to discontent. People who are adaptable in the workplace embrace change and find new challenges and directions to continue to grow and stay motivated
Survival –Individuals who don’t adapt get downsized, outsourced, or automated out of a job. The same applies to organisations
Adaptability Quotient (AQ) measures an individual’s ability to determine what’s relevant, to forget obsolete knowledge, overcome challenges, and adjust to change in real-time. This ability to adapt is essential for leaders who wish to continue their professional development, with some labelling AQ as the X-factor for career success.
Professionals with a high AQ tend to be motivated by curiosity. Adaptable professionals are more equipped to future-proof their careers, diversifying their skills and knowledge, and better preparing themselves to tackle changes in the marketplace, customer preferences, and technology.
Adaptability Quotient is an attribute that can be developed. Theory U by Otto Scharmer of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggests three elements that can help provide a development framework:
Keep an open mind - actively work on managing their unconscious biases to remain open to possibilities
Keep an open heart - to view situations from the perspectives of others
Keep an open will - letting go of identity and ego to sit with the discomfort of the unknown
Adaptability is a must-have soft skill if you’re aspiring for a leadership role. Here’s how to advance your adaptability skills:
Be willing to make mistakes - Making mistakes is human. Seeking the learning opportunity from the error will help improve your adaptability skills. Embrace the growth mindset. Find the silver lining, as it requires you to reset and reframe your focus, often taking a step back and viewing things less critically and more objectively
Be curious - Asking questions and seeking input from others is a great way to develop and challenge established ways of doing things, a key component of being adaptable.
Be creative – Changing conditions require doing things in a way that hasn’t been done before. To effectively adapt you need to experiment - try something, see what happens, make an adjustment, and try again
Accept the present - Focus on the here and now and do not get distracted by things out of your control. People who are best at adapting put their energy and attention on the only thing they can control: what they can do right here, right now, with what they have
“Adaptability stands out as the most relevant skill for the 2020s.”
Dr. Jason Wingard, Dean of the School of Professional Studies, Columbia University - a leading academic in the areas of organisational strategy, learning, leadership development, and the future of work.
You can assess your own Adaptability Quotient here:
https://www.aqai.io/#assessment
