Tag Archives: adaptability
Adapt and achieve
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc divx Adaptability is the best skill you can have. Basketball is a game of rhythm, you set the pace at which you want to play and force the other team to adapt. If your familiar with basketball drills, in basketball practice we have what’s called rolling waves where the goal is to score the most times to stay on the court, the challenge is to play teams that constantly change players so you never face the same team twice. The game is continuous and doesn’t stop until your team loses and then the winner keeps playing.
This makes it very interesting because not only does your team have to adapt but your opponent also has to adapt to their new members. It forces you to play everyone differently as opposed to accepting how the game should be played, you change the game by modifying the rhythm and never showing the same play over and over again.
Improvisation is your best weapon.
The point is you don’t want to fall into predictable patterns of play, never using the same play again because it worked before but rather make it difficult for your opponent to read you by changing your approach continuously.
The ability to play outside other’s experience is THE supreme skill in any strategists arsenal because your opponent will never know what you’ll do next. Change your approach continuously and accept that there is no normal, only continuous change.
Key takeaway: The most adaptive prevail, it’s as simple as that Blood Diamond video
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Adapt or die
A few days ago I found myself reading one of the many posts out there about X reasons why brands refuse to embrace social media. The truth is many companies are already irrelevant because they fail to see the world as continuously evolving.
First it’s important to understand that as humans we are taught to see everything as a phase because it makes it easier for us to make sense of things by being able to separate one event from the others. The problem with this way of thinking is it tries to make everything predictable in the short term by not focusing on the long term consequences.
Win today and don’t worry about tomorrow.
Adaptability requires a you to see events as continuous, not linear. For an adaptable company change is always happening, not just between events. The objective of being adaptable is to be able to win as many times as possible but not worry about winning every single battle.
Stories abound of companies that became irrelevant because they failed to adapt, choosing to follow a predictable death. Most of these companies waited until chaos arrived to make adjustments and others clinged to the past. Why wait until chaos comes knocking on your door, adaptability is the most crucial skill you’ll ever need and it should be part of your strategy because if you don’t adapt you’re already irrelevant.
Action step:
An exercise that always works wonders is showing people a vision where they no longer exist because they failed to adapt. Try it yourself, grab a few people from your office and ask them about the challenges facing your business:
- What they’re most afraid of?
- What keeps them up at night?
If they don’t have a clear answer for both, you’re already in trouble because you’re sitting in a very comfortable position and nothing is challenging your business.
What do you think? What actions do you take to make your business adaptable?
