STEER THE FUTURE WITH CONFIDENCE THROUGH LEADERSHIP AND ADAPTABILITY
In the whirlwind of today’s relentless business landscape,
characterised by constant change and uncertainty, the mastery of
leadership has never been more critical. Whether you are part of the leadership team, a middle manager, or just starting out, the journey
to becoming an effective leader requires a deep dive into selfleadership. This blog delves into the power of resilience and its
pivotal role in overcoming challenges, fostering adaptability, and
ultimately achieving success in our dynamic and ever-changing world.
The resilience mindset
The past few years have tested our grit, as the world evolves at an unprecedented pace. Within this chaos lies a silver lining – the chance to enhance our lives through the development of personal resilience.
As Jim Rohn rightly said,
Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better."
Our mindset shapes our resilience and overall wellbeing. Cultivating strength, courage, and confidence empowers us to navigate the complexities of our personal and professional lives. It starts with thinking well, creating a balanced mental and emotional connection to feel well, and implementing strategies that ensure wellbeing across
the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual planes.
Tips for wellbeing
- Thinking well: Schedule regular self-reflection sessions, identifying and replacing limiting thoughts.
- Feeling well: Create conscious awareness around your emotions, fostering congruence between heart and mind. Connecting your IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and EI (Emotional Intelligence) equals a ‘wise leader.’
- Doing well: Acknowledge your human limitations, seek support when needed, and embrace collaboration within your teams and organisation.
Practical activity
When feelings of stress, pressure, or overwhelm creep in, work through the following 3 steps:
- Write down everything that stresses you out.
- Cross off all items not in your control; let them go. Holding on to uncontrollable things can be detrimental to your mental health.
- Focus and invest your time and energy into the things within your control, one at a time!
This approach fosters a sense of achievement and fulfilment, steering us back on track to achieve desired outcomes.
Getting ahead of the game with Adaptability Quotient (AQ)
In a world characterised by rapid change, cultivating adaptability is not only paramount but also provides a significant advantage.
Developing your AQ equips you with the skills to adapt to new
situations, overcome challenges, and thrive in our ever-evolving
world.
A high AQ enables us to:
- Determine what's relevant
- Forget obsolete knowledge
- Overcome challenges and adjust to change in real time
Developing leadership skills, particularly resilience, requires a strong focus on AQ, encompassing three key aspects:
- LEARN new knowledge and skills.
- UNLEARN and let go of outdated or irrelevant information.
- RELEARN, the ability to overcome challenges and adjust to change in real time.
We must give ourselves permission to unlearn what we think we
know, creating space to relearn what we need to know in the new
world. As Futurist Alvin Toffler wisely noted,
Those who will succeed in the future are not the most knowledgeable but those who have learned how to learn, unlearn, and relearn.
Positioning to kick new goals
Let’s not be conditioned by the norm and what others tell us to do. Instead, position yourself in the best possible space, giving you a huge advantage to ‘kick new goals’ and achieve your vision and purpose
faster.
What are you committed to do/adjust to create a game-changer for you and your team? Have a keen interest (not in what you have) but in what you could have. Using a soccer game metaphor, the interest is
not on where the ball is right now, but where it will be!
When you watch a soccer game, you can observe that most people,
especially the ones who start out, are where the ball is, like a swarm of bees following the ball around the field.
Now, here comes the ‘kicker’!
The greatest players are not where the ball is. The greatest players are where the ball is going to be.
The Ronaldo’s, the Messi’s, and Mbappé’s are more interested in
where the ball is going to be, rather than where the ball is right now. It’s the same in leadership. We need to ask ourselves: Where is the ball going to be in our industry, for our clients etc.?
The greatest players in the world don’t only know where they are on
the field; they also know where everybody else is on the field. They are leaders playing trategically, looking ahead, and planning for the
future.
To achieve success, we must constantly adapt to stay aligned with our
vision and purpose, understanding that what got us here won’t get us there. Please remember:
Never negotiate on your vison and purpose, but stay flexible on how to get there!
Hence, ask yourself every day:
- Learning: “What do I know today that I didn’t know yesterday?”
- Un-learning: “What do I let go of today that I held on to yesterday?”
- Re-learning: “What am I changing today that I did yesterday?”
When we are open to that learning, unlearning, and relearning process, it’s amazing what can happen, not only to our resilience, but furthermore in our personal and professional lives.