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Flexibility vs. Adaptability

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When we are young we are so flexible. We could bend and move in ways that now would seem painful. Recently I came across a concept with my coach. When I think of flexibility, I think of bending because you can. Kids can easily touch their toes and sit for hours cross-legged. One definition of flexibility is “the quality of bending easily without breaking.” This is a skill kids don’t realize the power of until they are much older. In leadership, flexibility is important, especially lately.


Let’s think beyond being flexible. Instead, let’s lean toward adaptability with intentionality and purpose. Adaptability is “the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions.” We’ve all had to adjust our lives and leadership over the past few years. A key component in the success of our leadership is the ability to adapt. It’s better to proactively adapt, than to have to be pushed to adapt without warning.


According to* Gately, “An adaptive leader is defined as someone who is able to change their behaviour in response to changes in a situation… showing resilience when things don’t go as planned and bouncing back from failure.” Here we see the strength and resilience that adaptability creates even when plans and people change. How adaptable are you when things change last minute? How easily do you stay calm and improvise based on new realities.


The Gately article makes this connection: “Unpredictable situations that require adaptability from leaders are often associated with increased levels of stress. Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to be aware of and control your emotions, and a key quality for enhancing it is emotional agility– the ability to manage, and not suppress, thoughts and feelings.”


A coaching conversation is a great environment to stretch your adaptability muscle. You can work out scenarios and possible responses to situations instead of allowing them to keep you stuck. As a coach I take an authentic approach of leaning forward into the pressures and struggles of leadership. Let’s develop adaptability together!



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