Adaptability is a powerful life skill. Next to hard skills, your teammates must have soft skills as well. These include clear communication, critical and analytical thinking, effortless interactions, and adaptability. In real-life situations, only those who can adapt will survive. The same applies in work settings, especially if you’re in a changing industry. But what is a changing industry? How is it defined? Which industry is considered changing and which is not? In reality, in the era of technology, no industry is not undergoing change or alteration. Each day something new emerges, requiring the softest skills of all, adaptability. AI, automation, innovation, and recent trends- this is a constantly improving game of sophistication. Being able to shift behaviors and act accordingly will give one the upper hand, both in life and in the industry.
Being adaptable means being current, up-to-date, and constantly evolving with the changes. Being adaptable means seeing and taking chances and not penalizing oneself for failure or loss, and being adaptable means getting engaged, curious and progressive. Not having these features is not the end of the world. Not having a team with these features isn’t either. The good news is that people are teachable, and you are good at teaching.
Follow reading for tips to encourage adaptability in your team
Offer training opportunities
Learning is not one time process. Especially soft skills that require training and practice to be acquired. As an employer, it is your responsibility(well, in case you want a team with strong expertise) to provide chances for improvement. A team-based learning or collective learning is a perfect method. With this method, you will encourage the idea of brand community and build a stronger community, and your teammates will get inspired by one another. Also, through team learning, you will identify your employees’ strengths and weaknesses, assure all your employees are on the same page and educate them on what they lack. For example, they might need training on negotiation skills or using new technologies. Whatever it is, flexibility is a saver in the era of change.
Encourage improving problem-solving skills
Problem-solving goes hand in hand with adaptability. Those who know how to react and act in emergencies will survive in the long run. Being versatile with problems, solving them once, and thinking over different approaches to the same issue will ensure your employees can handle similar situations in the future. Customers are more demanding now than ever before, so your team should be able to handle the furious cases and provide fast customer services. The more problems and problematic issues your teammates face, the better they will become at finding the way out every following time.
Problem solving happens in all walks of life. From kindergarten when meeting our first playmates to college where we face more complex problems like understanding how to estimate gpa. Whatever it is, being able to solve problems is a skill for life and work.
Walk your team with the trends
In the upcoming years, a lot will change in the workplace culture—trends, business practices, working habits, hours, venue, virtual team-buildings, etc. Your main goal as an employer is to ensure your team is adaptable and willing to adjust and work in a changing environment without causing loss. Ensure your teammates are knowledgeable about modern tools, such as task management software, charts, online boards, etc., which they might need later or now. When employees are adaptable to change, your company culture improves, and employee involvement rises.
Final Words
As you can see, adaptability is all about learning and improving. It is vital to be flexible with the changing environment, be able to face challenges, and act strategically. Following the tips mentioned above, you will encourage your team to gain all these vital skills for survival and provide the critical point of your successful business.