Cultivating Adaptability

PRESENTED BY - FLOR RAMIREZ

Cultivating Adaptibility

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Barriers when Adapting

Knowing it could be difficult to adapt anywhere, we are also naturally resistant to change which can stand in the way of being open to new experiences and opportunities. We also naturally fear rejection, so we may shy away from doing something new or going out of our comfort zone for fear of being rejected.

• Knowing it could be difficult to adapt anywhere, we are also naturally resistant to change which can stand in the way of being open to new experiences and opportunities.

• We also naturally fear rejection, so we may shy away from doing something new or going out of our comfort zone for fear of being rejected.

lack Of opportunity

principles of courtesy of Jon Wilkerson:

Commitment – means doing something with as much energy and enthusiasm as possible. Listening – the ability to shut off the voices in our head and really pay attention to the people and environment around us. This can be very difficult to do when we are nervous and thinking about what we should do and say. However, by really giving attention to what our client, team member, or boss is saying, we can respond more appropriately than if we are constantly planning out our next sentence in our minds. Grabbing opportunities – opportunities are fleeting and, if we don’t jump on them fast, they will leave us behind, kicking ourselves. In improvisation, this is called ‘accepting offers’ and an ‘offer’ is defined as anything another actor says or does.

pART 2: principles of courtesy of Jon Wilkerson:

Support – a general attitude of helpfulness that all successful improvisational actors carry with them every moment they are on stage. So to do this well, you need to be adept at listening, at grabbing opportunities and at committing. Spontaneity – the ability to act without over-thinking everything you do. It is having access to a sort of instantaneous judgement and being able to follow up on it immediately. It means not second-guessing all of your decisions. It requires good judgement that is built from experience, and it requires trust in your ability to recover quickly from bad decisions and learn from your errors. Fun – It means having a positive attitude, and leaning towards what you are doing and not away from it, or resisting it. When we head towards a challenge not only with a determination to succeed but with an expectation that tackling the challenge will be rewarding and fun, we run towards that challenge instead of stumbling towards it reluctantly.

10 STEPS TO ADAPTABILITY

01- AN OPEN MIND

02- STICK AT THINGS

Being adaptable doesn’t mean flitting from one thing to the next. Adaptability is closely linked to resilience, as well as perseverance. And resilient people stick at things. Strong application is underpinned by a sense of self-direction or free will, and these in themselves create robustness. As a consequence you are able to be more adaptable because you cope better with set-backs and rejection.

An open mind allows fresh ideas to come in and can help you with your plans and goals, because answers, ideas and solutions simply come more quickly to an open mind. It can help you see opportunities others might miss, discount or neglect. Challenge any limiting beliefs, become more aware of your own ‘mental scripts’ and challenge your own ‘rut’ thinking – if your way of responding to something is comforting, inviting and familiar, try changing it and see what happens.

04- BE WILLING TO LEARN

03- TRAVEL MORE

We never really stop learning. Be willing to learn new methods, procedures and ways of doing things. Take on new tasks. Try something different. Draw conclusions from new information. Respond with energy to new challenges, the unfamiliar and the unexpected.

If you can afford to do so, take yourself and your family on an adventure, even if you can’t travel abroad, consider visiting different parts of your city or country where you perhaps would not normally consider going. Or go camping and try cooking and sleeping outdoors.

05- TAKE YOURSELF OUT YOUR COMFORT ZONE

06- IMPROVISE

Don’t over-think and second-guess everything that you do. Practice being spontaneous – accept that last-minute invitation, change your weekend plans, walk into the presentation smiling with confidence knowing that you will do well. Take that opportunity, it might not come again.

Look for opportunities to try new things that will keep you learning. You can do this in very small ways to start with- try learning a new skill, make new friends, try a new type of food, take the initiative for starting something in your community. Take on new challenges for work and seek them out. Embrace change, even if it feels uncomfortable at first.

08- ADOPT TO A 'CAN DO' POSITIVE ATTITUDE TO CHANGE

07- Flexibity

Even though it is natural to want to resist change, try and build up your ability to adapt and respond positively by literally changing your behaviour next time you are faced with a change. Again, start with small steps.

Three types of flexibilities: a) ‘cognitive flexibility’, using different thinking strategies and mental frameworks; b) ‘emotional flexibility’, varying your approach to dealing with your own emotions and those of others; and c) ‘dispositional flexibility’, remaining optimistic and at the same time realistic. Look for as many opportunities as you can to exercise these types of flexibility.

10- HAVE A SURVIVOR ATTITUDE

09- GET CREATIVE AT PROBLEM SOLVING

Refuse to see yourself as a victim in any situation and always look for ways to resolve it. Remember that you can never be in control of your circumstances and external events, you can only be in control of your own responses and behaviours.

Get creative at problem solving Research suggests that people who are a Experiment with different strategies and focus on developing a logical way to work through common problems.