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How to be Flexible and Open to Change
Change is the only constant
We live in an era of risk and instability. Globalization, new technologies, a pandemic and a recession have combined to upend everything we know to be normal which has created a deep sense of unease. These combinations of factors make adaptability an important skill to master. People who lack adaptability are ruled by fear, anxiety and a deep personal discomfort to change.
Adaptability is your ability to adjust to changes in your environment.
Schwinn bicycle company, a family-owned company was America’s number one manufacturer of bicycles from the mid-1950s through to the 1970s. By the late 1970s, a new bicycle sport begun by enthusiasts in Northern California had popularized a new type of all-terrain bicycle, the mountain bike.
Schwinn failed to spot this mountain-biking trend and was slow to match competition from abroad for the booming market in upscale bikes for adults. Senior management, oblivious to the changing tides of bikers’ tastes, was far too slow in rethinking their marketing strategy. One sales manager even dismissed the new, lightweight bikes with the dismissive comment, “Are you gonna ride it or carry it?”.
It’s overseas suppliers including Giant Bicycles of Taiwan, which Schwinn had inadvertently helped build into a bicycle manufacturing titan, were among the creditors that eventually forced Schwinn into bankruptcy. The managers at Schwinn believed for some reason that they were exempt from the change in consumer behaviour, this attitude came at a huge cost.
The ability to be flexible, to take in new, and even painful information, without tuning out in self-protection, and responding nimbly is essential for survival.
Adaptability is a competitive advantage. The ability to be flexible, to take in new, and even painful information, without tuning out in self-protection, and responding nimbly is essential for survival. Adaptability is your ability to adjust to changes in your environment. Being adaptable means that you can respond quickly to changing ideas, responsibilities, expectations, trends, strategies and…
