“Toto, I have a feeling that we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
Just like Dorothy when she found herself in Oz, we often find ourselves in situations where we have to adapt.
Circumstances change, the people around us change, and we have to be nimble enough to change our course.
Charles Darwin observed that “it is not the strongest of species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but rather the one most adaptable to change.”
The survival of our goals and dreams is dependent upon our ability to adjust the sails to grasp the new winds of change to keep our hopes and dreams alive. Your ability to adapt is critical to your future success!
There are 3 things we need to increase our capacity to adapt effectively:
- Be Prepared
- Personal Accountability
- Courage to Embrace the Change
1. Be Prepared
Are you diligent in preparing before events overtake you? As we encounter varying and often unpredictable circumstances, the planning and preparation that we, as leaders, have undertaken up to this point will define our effectiveness. Consistent preparation allows us to discern better, prioritize better, and adapt better. Dwight Eisenhower said, “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” Leaders who plan maximize their capacity to think. As we optimize our ability to think and adjust, we will grow in our boldness and everyone will be inspired to make the necessary adjustments.
2. Personal Accountability
This is a mindset of asking what I can do to become the best version of myself or to help my fellow humans become their best through a change. This is a process of seeing it, owning it, solving it, and doing it. “If it’s got to be, it is up to me”—Harrison Hoof. This is one where you say: Get out of the way. I got this. I am going to make something happen out of these winds of change. Even though I may not have optimal time or resources. Once people know, see, and feel us exuding personal accountability, this will give everyone the courage and hope to adapt so we all can take another step.
3. Courage to Embrace the Change
Do you embrace change, or do fear and doubt take over? All of us, without exception, are faced with changes that we fear. Some misunderstand the existence of fear as a lack of courage. In fact, courage shows itself when we are most afraid when we choose not to be static, not to be paralyzed, but to move forward despite the different variables that have raised their head. All great leaders exhibit this quality. When everyone around us knows, sees, and feels the commitment and focus to win through adversity and adjust our sails to the changing wind, everyone will be inspired to grow!
We are not in Kansas anymore, because we live in a world of constant change where we need to be able to adapt to any person, place, or thing that rises up against our journey.
Therefore, let’s prepare for it, let’s accept responsibility for it, and let’s have the courage to adapt and grow through it!
Love to hear how you adjust your sails in the storms of life to keep heading in the proper direction that your goals and dreams have you on!
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