Flexibility and adaptability. That’s the name of the game as a leader, isn’t it? Or at least that’s what we tell ourselves and what we expect from the people we lead. We want those under our direction to understand that what I need now might not be what I need ten minutes from now.
But what does adaptability actually mean in the real world of business and boardrooms, not just in textbooks and interviews?
For me, adaptability isn’t simply the acceptance of change. It’s the anticipation of change. It’s preparing for it and developing plans that can adjust when change happens. It is understanding that the environment is ever-changing and that momentum doesn’t end simply because the environment around us does.
There’s an important distinction between flexibility and adaptability. Flexibility is how we respond to what is happening today. It’s how we reprioritize our calendar for an urgent deadline or react in an operational emergency. Adaptability is how we prepare for what might happen tomorrow.
It is the ability to strategize for an ever-changing world at the intersection of funding, politics, governance, regulations, operations, growth, competition, and other forces.
As a leader, it is important to know the environment will change and arm your organization with a plan that can adjust to the ebbs and flows. How can I take my preferred plan and build enough flexibility into it to adapt if there’s a major shift in my industry?
That is strategic adaptability. Protecting the objective while remaining willing to change the path.
I’ve learned this lesson firsthand through changes in leadership teams. No matter how thorough the interview process, or how clearly we define expectations, every person brings their own experiences, perspectives, personality, and approach to leadership. A new CEO or C-Suite leader may operate differently than you anticipated. The strategy may not have changed, but the environment around it has.
That’s where adaptability matters. You can’t spend your energy wishing the new leader would operate like the previous one. You have to understand what changed, determine what hasn’t, and adapt while keeping sight of the organization’s objectives.
Adaptability doesn’t stop with strategy. Sometimes, it requires us to adapt ourselves.
Not every decision will be your preferred option. You may disagree with your leader or Board. You don’t have to agree with every decision to faithfully execute it. Once the decision has been made, it becomes the organization’s decision, and our responsibility is to move forward together.
No different than what we expect from a quarterback and head coach. The quarterback may not have called the play, but once it’s called, the quarterback’s job is to execute it.
That’s teamwork. That’s leadership. And that’s adaptability.
Maybe the real test of adaptability isn’t whether we’re comfortable with change. It’s whether we can recognize when the plan needs to change, adapt without losing sight of the objective, and ensure the team keeps moving forward together.
