Does Being Adaptable Mean I Can Never Have a Plan?
There are few successful people or companies that continue to do the same thing over and over without any form of change. In fact, great leaders seek change, explore options, and remain flexible to new ideas and ways of doing things. That begs a question, though: if I need to remain agile, how can I have a plan and stick to it?
Let’s break that down. We can start by understanding what adaptability is. I see adaptability as both a leadership competency and a form of action. You can think and lead from a growth mindset, which leads to new ideas and thinking (encouraging change and adopting new ideas). You can continue to act in those ways as well.
Being adaptable means working without boundaries, and being open to finding diverse and unexpected solutions to problems and challenges in the workplace. 1
I like this explanation above from the Robert Half website describing what adaptability can be. At its core, it means staying flexible and always seeking new options. It begins to build a behavior and thought process for a changing and growth oriented mindset, that is open to and even seeks options for change.
What is adaptability?
Adaptability is a willingness to shift and make changes. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you constantly do that. When trying to layer the idea of adaptability in with your planning process, it is not an either/or option. Being adaptable does not preclude you from the planning process. And having a plan does not prevent you from being adaptable. I would argue that the planning process allows you to understand and potentially predict where you may need to be adaptable during the execution phase. Plans enable adaptability in a predictable way.
A simple example of this would be setting a new planogram or updating a new workstation layout. You have a plan for when you are going to complete the task. You have the schematic that you need to follow for item placement. Those are components of your plan. However, while completing the task you realize your location doesn’t carry a certain item, or it is out of stock. Being adaptable means being able to replace that product or item with something else and move forward. It doesn’t stop you in your tracks and prevent you from completing what needs to get done. This is an extremely basic example, but it’s important to see where even in something this simple, there are elements of flexibility while still enacting your plan.
Adaptability is critical right now
Leaders and businesses have been forced to demonstrate extreme adaptability over the course of the last (nearly) three years. COVID has introduced an environment that remains fluid. Consumer shopping behaviors are in flux, and with other macroeconomic and global events impacting people in different ways, those shifts are likely to continue. The ability to move with customers, approach going to market, and provide service levels in new ways will remain critical for success.
The planning process does not change, in the sense that you still need to have solid plans for how you will get your work done. Use your planning process to identify areas where change or shifting may be necessary, and build in options for those points.
Plans are nothing, planning is everything — Dwight D. Eisenhower
I am sure you’ve heard the quote from Dwight D. Eisenhower. It is so powerful in helping people understand that the process of planning is the real benefit, not the plan itself. The plan is never more important than the outcome. Few plans end the way they started. Even fewer outcomes of the planning landed exactly as it was expected at the beginning. Adaptability allows you to get the right outcomes in the best possible way.
How do you practice adaptability?
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Photo by Lea L on Unsplash
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1 https://www.roberthalf.com.au/career-advice/career-development/adaptability-skills