How adaptability helps at work

Global – Since the world of work is an ever-changing target, it’s no surprise that adaptability has become the skill employers are looking for. Workplace experts have been talking about the idea of ​​“adaptability” for a long time, but in our ever-changing world of work, it has never been more relevant.

In the workplace, adaptable people are able to confidently navigate changing circumstances—a valuable asset as the world tries to come up with new hybrid and remote workdays. But this trait doesn’t just make employees more efficient: adaptability can also make employees feel better, because it could mean they’re better prepared for change.

A 2020 Harvard Business School survey found that 71% of 1,500 executives from over 90 countries named adaptability as the most important quality they look for in a leader. And data from a 2021 McKinsey & Company study found that adaptable people are 24% more likely to be employed.

What is adaptability?

Adaptability isn’t just about surviving change when it hits you, it’s resilience. Instead, experts say, to be truly adaptable, you must be proactive about change, even advocating it, and constantly adding new features to your repertoire so your skill set can meet emerging needs.

Often adaptability is not about responding to change, but about being an active catalyst for it. For example, an adaptable leader would not make a plan of what to do if his industry were to fail; rather, they will actively develop their company proactively by planning for change. On the other hand, a highly adaptable employee, such as a salesperson, may forego proven methods and instead experiment with new customer targeting technologies, explore different cold calling techniques, and evolve as soon as things change. change, they are ready.

Honing Your Skill Set

Having survived a global pandemic, some workers may assume they have great adaptability. Others, more firm in their views, may think that it is impossible to change this part of their character. But anyone working in this ever-changing time can benefit from honing their adaptability skills, and there are many methods people can use to do so, even the most seemingly immutable ones.