The importance of adaptability skills in the workplace

Over the past couple of decades there has been increased recognition of the softer leadership
skills required to lead successfully. But our research and experience shows that a lot of
leadership failures arise from an inability to adapt and let go of old behaviours.

Whilst it’s important to use our past experiences of change to inform how we might tackle
the next unexpected challenge, being adaptable is about remaining open and flexible in our
approach, accepting that we may succeed or fail along the way.

In a world that is going to continue to throw new and novel situations for leaders to navigate,
the need for adaptability in the workplace - to learn and unlearn - is critical to future success.

What is adaptability?
Adaptability is a soft skill that means being able to rapidly learn new skills and behaviours in
response to changing circumstances. Employers usually look for adaptability when hiring new
staff and the skill is often included in job descriptions because of its importance for growth
within a role.

Someone demonstrating adaptability in the workplace is flexible and has the ability to
respond effectively to their working conditions - even if things don’t go as planned. They
usually work well on their own and with team members.

People in leadership positions are often expected to manage unusual situations without
explicit instruction. An adaptable leader must be able to solve problems in a fast-paced
environment and trust their judgement when making difficult decisions, while still recognising
that what worked before is not necessarily the answer.

How to develop adaptability skills in your leaders

While every leader’s journey to raising their adaptability is unique and different depending
on their specific strengths and development areas, here are a few key tips which could help
your leaders improve their adaptability skills in the workplace:

Be confident but open to improvement

Leaders need to become aware of any gaps between their actual performance and desired
performance levels, as this insight will drive behaviour change. But self-awareness must be
balanced with self-belief. Without it, increased awareness of development needs can be
demotivating and disheartening. In contrast, leaders with very high levels of self-belief may
dismiss or underestimate the need to act on development feedback.
Focus on improving not proving
Goal orientation describes whether, on approaching a task, you focus more on what you can
learn from it, on performing well, or on avoiding failure. Although typically subconscious, our
goal orientation has a strong impact on how much we will learn from our experiences. Leaders
with a learning orientation tend to see challenges as opportunities to improve, and so are
more accepting of failure as a necessary step towards better performance.

Think about your thinking

Metacognitive ability is our ability to think about the way we think, and it’s crucial for
maximising learning. Seeking feedback and reflecting on it are key elements, enabling us to
extract critical lessons from our experiences. Leaders should be aware that not all reflection
is conducive to learning; self-reflection can be adaptive (helpful) or maladaptive (unhelpful).
Adaptive self-reflection accelerates leadership development because it is characterised by
openness, positivity, and a learning, goal-orientated perspective.[4]

Practise deliberately, not mindlessly

Experts (compared to novices) take a much more deliberate approach to trying to implement
new learning to improve their performance. For instance, they make much better use of
strategies such as goal setting, and adopt more specific goals about how they will improve
their performance as well as just what performance improvement they’re aiming for.[5]

Deliberate practice involves highly structured and intense activities, adapted to each
individual to stretch their performance beyond its current level, with immediate feedback
focusing on errors or weaknesses. Errors are important in helping leaders to adapt since
“failing to fail” restricts individuals from exploring alternatives, potentially leading to
complacency[6].

In conclusion
Effective leadership not only requires technical and contextual knowledge and skills, but
increasingly calls for higher level competencies such as the ability to adapt. You can learn
more about this crucial soft skill in our article, Adaptability: the key skill needed for change.

When a leader is under a high level of pressure, they can become ‘rigid’ in their reactions.
They can respond to challenges in ways that have become ingrained or habitual. This can be
problematic when those habitual responses are no longer appropriate for the situation; which
is increasingly likely in our complex, turbulent and rapidly changing world. As such,
adaptability is an increasingly important and valuable skill for leaders to develop.

https://www.lane4performance.com/insight/blog/importance-of-adaptability-skills-in-the-
workplace/