Now more than ever before, leaders all over the world are facing
change and complexity — the coronavirus pandemic has presented us all with new
challenges, new circumstances, and new uncertainties. Adaptability is a
requirement. Because change is constant and inevitable, leaders must be
flexible to succeed. Adaptability is about having ready access to a
range of behaviours that enable leaders to shift and experiment as things
change.
Successful executives:
1) Adapt to the changing external pressures facing the organization.
2) Adjust their management style to changing situations.
3) Accept changes as positive.
4) Revise plans as necessary.
5)
Consider other people’s concerns during change.
Conversely,
it may also be argued that inflexible leaders limit the adaptability of others.
New initiatives may be halted or stifled. Resistance to change may undermine
critical projects or system-wide implementation. Employee enthusiasm,
cooperation, morale, and creativity are jeopardized, making it all the more
difficult to run the business or organization.
Am I a Flexible Leader?
Consider your personal approach to change. How do you respond when facing change? Do you:
1) Accept the change as positive?
2) See the change as an opportunity?
3) Adapt plans as necessary?
4) Quickly master new technology, vocabulary, operating rules?
5) Lead the change by example?
6) Take into account other people’s concerns?
7) Sort out your strengths and weaknesses fairly accurately?
8) Admit personal mistakes, learn from them, and move on?
9) Remain optimistic?
If few or none of these responses describes you, you’re not alone. Many of us get stuck, have a hard time letting go, or simply don’t know how to proceed in unknown territory.
The 3 Types of Flexibility That Help You Adapt to Change
If
you want to improve your responses to change in the future, Calarco says you
need to practice the 3 components of adaptability: cognitive flexibility,
emotional flexibility and dispositional flexibility.
A) Cognitive flexibility — the ability to use different
thinking strategies and mental frameworks:. . . . Leaders who have
cognitive flexibility are able to incorporate different thinking strategies and
mental frameworks into their planning, decision-making, and management of
day-to-day work. They can simultaneously hold multiple scenarios in mind
and can see when to shift and inject a change. Cognitive flexibility
indicates nimble, divergent thinking, an interest in developing new approaches,
the ability to see and leverage new connections, and the propensity to work
well across the organization. These leaders readily learn from experience and
recognize when old approaches don’t work.
B) Emotional flexibility — the ability to vary one’s approach
to dealing with emotions and those of others:
. . . . . Leaders with emotional flexibility vary their approach to dealing
with their own and others’ emotions — an area that many leaders often fail to
consider. An emotionally flexible leader is comfortable with the process
of transition, including grieving, complaining, and resistance.
Adapting to change requires give and take between the leader and those
experiencing the change. A leader without emotional flexibility is dismissive
of others’ concerns and emotions and shuts down discussion. At the same time,
an emotionally adaptive leader moves the change or agenda forward.
C) Dispositional flexibility — the ability to remain optimistic and, at the same time, realistic: . . . . . Leaders who display dispositional flexibility (or personality-related flexibility) operate from a place of optimism grounded in realism and openness. They will acknowledge a bad situation but simultaneously visualize a better future. They are neither blindly positive nor pessimistic and defeatist. Ambiguity is well-tolerated. Dispositionally flexible leaders see change as an opportunity rather than as a threat or danger. By learning and practicing behaviors that boost your cognitive, emotional, and dispositional flexibility, you can become more adaptable and, in turn, help others to adapt.
Cognitive Flexibility: Meaning & Ways to develop
Cognitive flexibility refers to our ability to disengage from one task and respond to another or think about multiple concepts at the same time. Someone who is cognitively flexible will be able to learn more quickly, solve problems more creatively, and adapt and respond to new situations more effectively, which is why it’s so important in both educational settings and the workplace. Building your cognitive flexibility is a great way to develop professionally and keep up with the ever changing work environment of the future. Some ways in which this can be done are:
A) Alter your everyday routine: . . . . . For instance, if you’re
accustomed to taking the same route to work each day, look for a different
route or consider taking the bus instead of driving yourself. If you usually
get your exercise at the gym, change things up by running in the park or going
for a bike ride. Even making the smallest of changes like sitting at a new spot
at the dinner table or using your left hand to brush your teeth instead of your
right can help you build and strengthen new neural pathways.
B) Seek out new experiences: . . . . . Each time you experience
something out of the ordinary or learn something new, the brain creates
new synaptic connections. New and interesting experiences have
also been shown to trigger the release of dopamine, which not only
increases motivation but also enhances memory and learning. So going out of
your way to experience new things or engage in novel activities can go a long
way towards helping you develop cognitive flexibility. This might mean
travelling to another country or volunteering in a new industry, but it could
also take the form of activities like learning a new language or musical
instrument, taking a dance class, or even exploring a part of town you’re not
familiar with.
C) Practice thinking creatively: . . . . . . Another way to build
cognitive flexibility is to make an effort to think in unconventional and
creative ways or practice divergent thinking. Divergent thinking
usually occurs in a spontaneous and free-flowing manner and involves thinking
in terms of unlimited possibilities rather than a limited set of choices.
D) Don’t always take the easy way: . . . . . . . These days we
have technology and apps that make our lives easier in countless ways, from
spell check and autocorrect to GPS. But the truth is that making things
easier for ourselves isn’t always the best thing for our cognitive flexibility.
Research shows that introducing so-called “desirable difficulties” can lead to deeper
learning, so by making a point of not always choosing the easiest way of doing
things, you can keep your mind sharp and even learn through your everyday
experiences.
For
instance, if you’re driving to an area you’re not familiar with, try to navigate
your way using a map and asking for directions rather than using your GPS, or
instead of reaching for your phone the minute you need to make a calculation,
grab a pen and paper, and do it the old-fashioned way.
E) Go out of your way to meet new people: . . . . . Meeting
people from different cultures and walks of life whose perspectives and
viewpoints are likely to differ from your own can help you to be less rigid in
your way of thinking and accept that there may be more than one “right” way of
looking at things. Research shows that people who are exposed to
situations that challenge their ideas about what’s right and wrong tend to have
greater cognitive flexibility. So make an effort to meet people outside
of your normal social circles, whether that means travelling abroad,
volunteering, teaching, or connecting with people through social media.
F) Transfer your learning: . . . . . Learning to transfer what
you’ve learned in one context into a new context can be a great exercise in
cognitive flexibility, because it forces you to form new connections
between previously unconnected networks of knowledge and think more creatively.
Without the ability to transfer skills and knowledge to new contexts, your
learning won’t have as great an impact. If you want to develop your ability to
transfer knowledge, research shows that explaining a new concept in your own
words not only helps you identify any incorrect assumptions, but also helps you
to generalise a concept for future application. Once you’re sure you understand
the concept, you can look for ways to apply it in real-world situations.
G) Challenge your morals: . . . . . . Seeking out experiences
that test your morals and expose you to a variety of beliefs, values, and
expectations can give you a better understanding of culturally different
perspectives and help you become more flexible in your thinking. Even if you
don’t necessarily agree with someone’s point of view or belief system, being
cognitively flexible means you’ll be able to think about why they might see
things that way and understand their point of view. This ability will
make it easier for you to communicate with people, resolve conflicts, and adapt
your thinking to various situations. Of course, travel is one way to
challenge your way of thinking, but even just reading about moral dilemmas and
thinking about them critically can help you develop in this area.
Tips for Flexible Leaders
1) Be curious. Ask lots of questions. Wonder, explore, and consider before you judge and decide.
2) Don’t get too attached to a single plan or strategy. Have Plan B (and C) at the ready.
3) Create support systems. Don’t go it alone. Look to mentors, friends, coaches, trusted peers, professional colleagues, family members, and others to serve as your support system in times of change. Encourage employees to do the same.
4) Understand your own reaction to change. You have to be clear about your own emotions and thoughts about changes, so you can be straightforward with others.
5) Immerse yourself in new environments and situations. Do this when you are confronted by change — but get practice by joining activities, meeting new people, and trying new things on a regular basis.
Content Curated By: Dr Shoury Kuttappa
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