One of the questions I am frequently asked is this: If you had to choose one leadership skill that is the most important in our world today, what would it be? Let me first qualify my response by saying that all leadership skills are important, but there is one in particular which probably makes more of a difference than any other: Adaptability. The reason behind this is simple. The various forms of change we are experiencing are more disruptive and less predictable than ever before.
Adaptability is of course a prominent topic in leadership circles these days, but I have yet to see a compelling definition beyond the traditional understanding. Therefore, I’d like to propose the following for everyone’s consideration:
Adaptability = Agility + Resilience
We all know what Agility means—just think of an athlete who quickly recognizes situations requiring a change, makes a timely and prudent decision, and then maintains their balance as they adjust. We can define Resilience in simple terms as the ability to successfully recover from adversity or some form of setback.
So why this “formula”? Because I think people need to manage the development of their own Adaptability. By breaking down the definition into two distinct but related components, it should be easier to chart a path with specific self-imposed action items for enhancing this skill. Everyone and anyone can improve their ability to adapt. Making this a priority, documenting some form of metric for tracking progress, and putting forth the requisite effort will definitely yield positive results.