Simply put, because they are able to win more business, do more interesting projects, and have an even greater impact. Several essential leadership qualities have been recognised, researched and discussed over the years in many journals. Qualities like communication, creativity, critical thinking, and empathy. However, just about every major study - from the World Economic Forum, and Deloitte, to Mckinsey, Linkedin and PWC - are placing ‘adaptability’ as the #1 essential skill of our time. Even citing adaptability as the leading delta in employability, and success.
While it is vital to draw on our previous experiences with change to influence how we might address the next unforeseen challenge, being adaptable entails a level of mental flexibility, and rapid feedback loops, to remain open in our approach, acknowledging that we may succeed or fail* along the road.
*Fail - First Attempt In Learning
While this is a learnable skill we can all benefit from in a changing environment, it is especially important for leaders. Leaders will need to evolve their thinking, behavior and actions as they transition from supervisor to middle manager and eventually to more senior roles. As you advance in an organisation, leadership roles get more demanding and sophisticated, necessitating more nuanced influencing and persuasion abilities. As leaders' seniority grows, mastering these three easy steps will help to unlock high impact and performing teams.
In business, adaptability research and science are identifying clear links which underpin personal and organisational achievement, enabling agility amid spiralling complexity, the accelerating pace of technological developments, and ceaseless disruption.
Today’s highest-performing leaders must be situational and dynamic. Able to contextualise vast information and embrace an experimental mindset as circumstances demand. Rather than being experts in narrow areas, leaders – and their organisations – must be good at learning how to do new things. Unfortunately, far too many people in leadership positions are unwilling to adapt to the changing times or do so ineffectually, and because of this, many companies ultimately perish.
“All success is successful adaptation. All failure is a failure to adapt.” Dr Max Mckeown
During periods of transformation and systematic upheaval, the prospect of making changes can be a daunting and difficult challenge. Change can trigger fear in people, especially in leadership positions. Often defaulting to familiar patterns of whatever solutions worked in the past. This is one of many "adaptability paradoxes": when we most need to learn and change, we stick with what we know, often in a detrimental way.
To overcome this challenge, leaders must work on transforming their relationship with change and uncertainty by building their ‘unlearning’ capacity, a skill of adaptability. A fundamental skill that will benefit themselves and their businesses in perpetuity. Whilst change can be difficult, having the support of a coach throughout the change process increases the odds of a successful implementation while building more robust, more resilient employees for the future.
We know coaching has a profound business impact:
88% increase in productivity** among managers who received personal coaching rather than the traditional managerial training program.
** Research by the President of Human Resources Solutions Inc, Dr. Gerald Olivero PhD,
A study published by the Manchester Review stated that 100 executives from Fortune 1000 companies reported benefits to themselves and their companies after completing an executive coaching program. These benefits included:
32% rise in executive retention
While the changing times pose a significant challenge for business leaders, they pose an exciting opportunity for coaches. Many coaches are beginning to realise there is a large skill gap across various industries regarding adaptability, and they are starting to leverage this to their advantage.
To be a highly valuable business coach, you must have the right approach and solutions for the demands of today. Backed by access to the right toolkits, community and learning to scale your solutions for maximum impact. The coaches who are learning the science, and model of AQ (Adaptability Quotient) are benefiting from the fastest growing adaptability focussed community in the world. A vital tool for growth and validated measurement.
What Is the Adaptability Quotient, And What Does It Measure?
The Adaptability Quotient (AQ) is “a measure of the abilities, characteristics, and environmental factors which impact the successful behaviours and actions of people, and organisations to effectively respond to uncertainty, new information, or changed circumstances” Decoding AQ 2022.
Based on AQai’s A.C.E. model, A person's AQ will be composed by various aspects of employee adaptability and situational factors. :
It's about rolling with the punches and working with, rather than against, change.
The Need for AQ
Adaptability is the most in-demand and critical skill organizations are seeking.
Copyright adaptai Ltd. All rights reserved. AQ® and AQai® are registered trademarks of adaptai Ltd.
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