Adaptability: A Prized Skill

"Be ready at any time to make a 180 degree turn in your business."  Emily Spencer

People who have the ability to instigate and manage change are a hot commodity right now.  Why?  More than any other time in recent history (except, perhaps, the Great Depression) corporations rise and fall on their ability to adapt to ever-shifting market conditions and fickle consumer demands.  Individuals who embrace and drive innovation are extremely valuable and enjoy compensation and job security that is envied by the change-averse masses coping with unemployment and under-employment.

What are some core traits of these amazing adapters?

Bold plans.  Adapters and innovators are masters at developing a dream and conveying it to other people in an actionable form.  They create the future through mindful thinking, envisioning a new reality through their own lens and filling it with color and texture.  They assemble players who can implement the vision and they compile data and statistics to back up their concepts.  But they never discount the role of creativity and intuition in the planning process, and that gift allows them to beautifully merge proven approaches with revolutionary ideas to achieve great things.

Market pain.  Adaptation for the simple sake of 'change' is useless.  You have to drive strategic transformations that meet the needs of the unique people who buy your products and services.  Adapters and innovators are adept at rooting out the pain in the marketplace and responding to subtle opportunities to solve problems and make customers feel good.  By listening, soliciting outside opinions, and taking direction from the marketplace, adapters can be crucial to driving wise changes that will generate huge paybacks.

Alliances.  Professionals who embrace adaptation are typically not shy about leveraging relationships and partnerships to get things done.  It harkens back to the old adage "a cord of three strands is not easily broken."  We're always better equipped to make good decisions when we're working with a team of smart people than in isolation.  By valuing diversity and pulling together advocates who understand the business, innovators can be a catalyst to take an entire company to the next level by facilitating collaboration and new ideas.

Saying 'No'.  Adaptive and innovative personality traits go both ways... they don't simply create yes-men for every cutting-edge concept - they also build individuals who are able to stand against the crowd and question the status quo when necessary.  Protecting the best interests of a business venture sometimes requires strong people to say no or force groups to rethink standard approaches to problems.  Adapters unique ability to think outside the box and challenge preconceived notions makes them priceless when a enterprise is sailing into uncharted waters.

Fight.  No, no, no... I'm not talking about people who like conflict for conflict's sake.  I'm referring to individuals who are willing to go to bat for the things they believe are true.  Allowing a team or department to develop a 'herd mentality' is a death sentence for innovation and change.  Adapters simply don't allow that dynamic to develop in the first place, because they stand up for their beliefs, defend their positions in healthy debate, and stick to salient points and lucid arguments to win the day.  The ability to take a leadership role and refuse to be derailed by change-averse peers or subordinates can be the single biggest factor in whether a great idea comes to fruition or gets lost by the wayside.

So, as you peruse this short list of adapter traits, ask yourself, "Do I exhibit these behaviors in my career?"  If not, you might want to try shifting your mindset and approaching your work from the perspective of embracing change rather than fearing it.