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How Well Have You and Your Company Adapted in 2020?

Being Adaptable is Critical

2020 has proven how adaptable we are; despite a global pandemic, we have had to work out ways to be better and do better. We have been confronted with continual challenges over the past nine months, situations and problems that we did not have the answers to, or possibly even professional competence to navigate the depth of the unknown.

 

Has your company adapted well? 

 

Have you thrived during this time of uncertainty?

 

Have you been stressed, overwhelmed and challenged in thinking creatively and innovatively in dealing with new scenarios?

 

Why Is It Important to Be Adaptable?

Being adaptable to change is a crucial behaviour that you need to focus on to succeed in business. Being able to adapt helps us adjust to the evolving conditions and function when we are in discomfort, change, or conflict. For many, working during the pandemic has opened us up to new opportunities; we have had to strengthen our ability to adapt and do so overnight. 

 

Resilience, Humility and Adaptability

During this period, leaders who are thriving have come through strongly as they have shown resilience, humility, and the ability to be adaptable while under a great deal of pressure. They have taken on a new way of working, communicating, improvising off old practices and habits, and developing skills needed to be honed to work in this new environment. 

 

Adapted

Exponential Leadership Growth

I have seen exponential leadership growth as individuals have taken a step into the unfamiliar, engaged with their clients and employees in an entirely different way and been focused on adapting and leveraging their businesses. Leaders have been purposeful in their communication, ensured it is timely, consistent and action moving forward is transparent. Leaders have had to let go of plans and goals that are no longer relevant and be open to pivoting quickly, with intent and openness to the unexpected. They have to focus on doing and being better in their leadership position, ensuring those around them are informed of changes and are comfortable with discomfort. 

 

Leaders Story

‘I shared my leadership vulnerabilities with my team, and I was honest about where we stood in the business, what we had to change quickly to plug our hemorrhaging costs and the support I needed from them. This conversation was one that I feared; however, it ended up being the best one I have ever had with my team. Honest dialogue in a difficult time was needed, and my team understood that we had to innovate fast and work in a completely different way to get through COVID.’

Adaptable Work Space

Meeting Tips to Encourage Being Adaptable

To be adaptive, we need to be curious and ask questions. Whether you are used to doing a morning huddle and have moved to a virtual daily meeting or have maintained weekly team meetings, I encourage you to practice the following:

-when an idea is presented, ask why it is important

-when an assumption is provided, ask for the data to back it up and analyze deeply

-be curious, flexible and open to different perspectives, and ask questions

-be willing to make decisions fast and pivot as necessary

-encourage open dialogue, be honest if you have concerns and transparent if there are issues that you foresee 

-be open-minded to a new or alternate way of doing things

-draw on your grayscale or integrative thinking mindset to help you be more innovative and figure out ways around roadblocks

-increase your risk tolerance level, don’t shy away from failure to achieve a win or success, and

-stay focused on what is important and believe that you will succeed

 

Professional Development

Being adaptable enables us to see new approaches to the way we do business and will open up business models that we may not have considered previously, such as remote work practices or hybrid models as our new norm. We need to be open to new mental modes in business and invest in the professional development needed to thrive in this new time. A focus on employee development in digital, emotional, social, problem-solving, resilience and adaptability skills should be a focus. 

 

Adapted work

 

What professional development areas will you be focusing on in 2021?

If you are interested in learning about professional development or executive coaching options for your leadership or team, please reach out to askme@jennyreilly.com to schedule a convenient time for a complimentary strategy session.

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2020 It Is Your Year!

We all have great intentions at the beginning of a New Year, the first day of the first month brings the promise of starting with a clean slate. Don’t be like the estimated 40 percent of North American’s who make New Year’s resolutions, of which only eight percent achieve. Instead, design a well thought out professional and personal roadmap for your success in 2020.

Now I know you may want to earn more, lose those extra few pounds gained over the festive period, have more time with family, travel someplace exotic, etc.…so do I!  Unfortunately, these generic statements don’t make things happen, so let’s give it a real try this year and be more focused and intentional on what we want to achieve in 2020 and how we are going to spend our time.

There is real value in setting aside time to first reflect on the past year:

  1. What did you accomplish in 2019 that you are really proud of?
  2. What worked well for you in 2019?
  3. What did not work well? Do you intend to improve in this area, or simply cut this action/process in 2020?
  4. What would you like to be doing more of in 2020?

My 2020 Professional and Personal Plan is my roadmap, it is something that I will often review, consists of 10 professional and personal goals and required action under each goal that I plan to focus on in the upcoming 12-months. My morning routine involves a quick review of my goals, and I define three action items daily to move goals forward. I review again at the end of the week and the quarter. I am not frightened to pivot if something is not working; as an entrepreneur and small business owner, the ability to move quickly, pivot, change, and adapt is necessary. My goals or action items often do change throughout the year. If something is not working, I pivot. Don’t feel tied to what you are writing down, it may need to be tweaked, and it is your plan, so you can change it as often as you feel necessary.

Time to write down your 2020 Professional and Personal Plan in seven easy steps:

STEP 1: Review and reflect. What worked for you and what has not this past year. Of the items that worked, ensure you carry forward these practices in 2020. For those that did not, it is simple, don’t do them again.

STEP 2: Think Big. Now is the fun part. Set a timer for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 50. Now, write down without judgment or doubt any professional or personal goal you have for 2020. Open your mind and write; keep writing until your timer goes off. When I do this exercise, I write each of my goals on a separate post-it note; this makes it easier to categorize and shortlist. It also provides an easy visual for the next steps required to make great things happen.

STEP 3: Categorize. Of your long list, categorize and group the items into seven to ten personal and professional goals. Write your goals in the past tense as though you have already achieved them – this will keep you motivated when you are planning the tasks for each goal. This step may initially feel overwhelming, but trust me, what usually occurs is that many of the items you brainstorm end up being actual tasks within an overriding goal.

Think of the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 Rule. The rule suggests that 80 percent of your results will come from 20 percent of your effort. After categorizing your goals determine the top 20 percent that will provide you the best return on your time, then you’re ready for the next step.

STEP 4: List Tasks. Now write down the tasks necessary under each goal. Writing the tasks down in order will assist you in setting timelines and prioritizing what you do first, second, third, etc. The important thing here is to take the first step, and this will enable you to move forward and gain momentum. For each goal, define at minimum the first five tasks that you will complete.

STEP 5: Set 90 day/Quarterly Targets. Assign your goals to quarter time frame periods (i.e., January – March, April – June, July-September, and October-December). Many of your goals may span the entire year. Allocate tasks to quarter periods, and this will provide you with a visual roadmap to follow in 90-day increments.

STEP 6: Schedule Time. Set a dedicated, uninterrupted time every morning to work on your defined goals. Diarize time in your schedule to make this happen – you just need to prioritize it, schedule it, and start. Simple!

STEP 7: Change your Mental Focus. Make the mental shift to focus on your identified goals and simply DO. By making the simple shift of thinking of goals within 90-day windows and by setting aside specified, concentrated time to work on your goals, I guarantee you will have increased performance, productivity and experience better results in 2020.

Are you as excited about 2020 as I am? It is going to be a GREAT year!

I have completed my roadmap for 2020 and am excited about the stretch goals I have set professionally and personally.

How is your 2020 looking?

If you are stuck, I would be happy to jump on a brief 15-minute zoom connection with you to help you prioritize your roadmap for success in 2020. Send me a message and I will be happy to coordinate with your schedule.

Happy New Year! 

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