Adaptation comes down to working smarter, not harder. We used to cite the 80/20 rule all the time when it came to what is most important in consulting. The 80% represented someone’s attitude where the 20% was their aptitude. Attitude entails the ability to adapt to circumstances at hand. To become part of the solution instead of the problem. Where you seamlessly and proficiently work with client and partner team members. Adaptive people have the soft skills that allow them to finesse their way through an established environment, all while standing apart and enacting direction as needed. They do not butt heads with clients or partners. Instead, they are flexible, determined, and stay focused on results. They have what I like to refer to as the “likeability factor.”
Adaptive people keep projects moving in a forward direction. As Henry Ford once said, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care itself.” The simple truth is that we don’t need to meet everything head on. I’ve had people tell me through the years, when observing behavior they see as unacceptable, “I would never do that! Would you do that?” I typically respond by saying, “of course not. You and I would never do that, but we are not them and they are not us.” Whenever my suggestion doesn’t seem to stick and once again, I hear the same thing from the same person about how someone is acting in a less than desirable manner, I’ll just look at them and say, “Not in your world.” That is usually my final attempt at proposing an adaptive view instead of expecting the world to back into views centric to them.
Charles Darwin once said, “It’s not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, it’s the one that is most adaptable to change.” So don’t focus on the fear-based illusion of what is no longer, and don’t try to hold on to what once was. Instead, focus on embracing what is now and adapting to what lies ahead. The quicker you can accomplish this transition, the more successful you will be, because change is synonymous with growth. If you are not experiencing abundant change, for all intents and purposes, you are not growing. You run the risk of becoming stagnant and staying stuck in the rut of underachievement. And you are likely missing out on many promising opportunities that come your way in the meantime.
