Adaptability And Flexibility Are The Keys To Success by Suzanne Scheideker Cook
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives nor the most intelligent. It is the one most adaptable to change.” - Charles Darwin
Often, there is more than one lesson that can be learned when observing others. While watching a documentary about French snowboarders traveling in the most remote parts of the rugged Atlas mountains, they were asked by their interpreter what they considered most important in achieving their goals. Without hesitation, the snowboarders said adaptability and flexibility were the key in achieving what they wanted to do in life. As I watched them travel and interact with villagers from different towns, they were humble, adapted to the situation, and were willing to meet those they met half-way in working together to attain a common goal.
Are adaptability and flexibility different? Yes. Often, people that are adaptable are also flexible but these are different character traits. Adaptability is your willingness to confront or change your own ideas and preconceptions. Flexibility is your willingness to “meet others halfway.” Why is it vital for you to develop and improve your adaptability and flexibility professionally? People that have these traits respond positively and effectively to their working conditions, even when things do not go as planned. Their willingness to meet people halfway goes a long way in smoothing tensions in a team setting and often makes them the “go-to” person or leader.
Here are some tips to help you become more adaptable and flexible:
To improve physical flexibility, trainers often encourage their clients to “open their focus.” This is also great advice to improve your mental flexibility. Open your focus. Instead of seeing change as a threat, see it as an opportunity.
When you are stuck in a rut, change your scenery. It could be as simple as taking a short walk around your neighborhood.
Do not always take the easy way out. We love our apps, our GPS, and our auto spell-check. However, research has shown that the mind needs “desirable difficulties” to have deeper learning experiences. So, the next time you are on a road trip, use a map and ask for directions instead of using your GPS. It might be challenging but it also might be a lot of fun.
Go out of your way to meet new people from different walks of life. Learning from others and seeing things from their perspective gives us a broader range of life experiences.
Be curious and stay curious. A dear friend of mine always kept a world Atlas next to her when she was watching television. When the news featured a story from a country that she was not familiar with, she would look it up in her Atlas.
Personal Challenge: Do something different each day for a week. It could be changing your route to work, trying a new food, or reading an opposing viewpoint with an open mind.
