Adaptability an Uncommon and Invaluable Skill

Some people and organizations are more adaptable than others. Those that have developed adaptability as a standard, mindset, skill and regular practice can and often do benefit greatly.

This holds true for everyday challenges and surprises as well as for disputes, ongoing conflicts, scandal, crisis and even reputation. It is a critical and invaluable mindset and successful, personal and professional application.

It’s not the strongest of the species, nor the smartest of the species that survives, but the ones most adaptable to change.

Charles Darwin

We may not recognize just how adaptable we are or aren’t in our thinking, decisions and actions. Yet we can learn greater self awareness and find helpful triggers for wiser thinking and smarter action to prove ourselves adaptable, even in the most trying and painful of times.

What is most required, according to one expert, is developing strength of flexibility. There are three types that can increase the likelihood of adaptability, according to Allan Calarco of the Center for Creative Leadership. They are cognitive, emotional and dispositional.

Let’s briefly look at these skills:

Cognitive is the “ability to use different thinking strategies and mental frameworks.” Most people own this ability yet they might not exercise it well at all times. To be a strength, cognitive flexibility must be applied in all circumstances, especially the most challenging ones.

Emotional is the “ability to vary one’s approach to dealing with emotions and those of others.” This is where many people (and organizations) get into trouble. Emotions drive actions and not always in the wisest way. They can often fog and distort thinking and end up as catalysts for puzzling or just plain poor decisions and actions. Self awareness of a deficiency in this type is more common than people believe and that results in a dangerous and costly blind spot. Dismissiveness and arrogance are frequent.

Dispositional is the “the ability to remain optimistic and, at the same time, realistic.” What can happen here is that people fall into the mental trap of optimism bias where they believe they are less likely to experience a negative event than is possible or probable, even if there is plenty of similar situations from the past or evidence that it will happen now.

To develop these three flexibility skills to the level of being reliable requires first that we are humble and accurate in our evaluation of their presence (if we possess them), the level of competence we currently hold or the absence of the thinking and skills.

If any or all of these flexibilities are absent or there is a gap between what we need from them and our thinking and skill level, humility and honesty are vital as is a show of commitment to development, or further development and the improvement that needs to emerge.

That word — improvement — is difficult to accept for high ego people yet the masters of anything in life are not those who are gifted with excellence from birth or natural ability but who are committed to continual and lifelong study, practice and tedious focus and correction.

Improvement, therefore, is not a sign of weakness but instead a passion for growth, sculpting expertise and earning multiple rewards, including progress and protection, from it. Flexibility and adaptability are no different.

They become more likely with understanding, focus, commitment, practice, effort and refinement, with the benefits proving pleasing.

Michael Toebe helps individuals and organizations accurately analyze and wisely, more successfully respond to conflict and crisis that threatens or harms reputation. He is the founder, writer and publisher of Red Diamonds Essays and has written advisory for Chief Executive, Corporate Board Member, New York Law Journal, Corporate Compliance Insights, Physicians Practice and Training Industry.

This article first published at Red Diamonds Essays, on the Medium platform on October 5th, 2020.