Conversely, the inability<\/em> to develop or adapt was the most frequently cited reason for career derailment<\/strong> among North American managers.<\/p>\n That\u2019s because inflexible leaders limit the workplace adaptability of others. New initiatives may be halted or stifled. Resistance to change may undermine critical projects or system-wide implementation, causing not only setbacks in progress, but also leading to anxiety and negative emotions from other team members. Employee enthusiasm, cooperation, morale, and creativity are jeopardized, making it all the more difficult to run the business or organization. (Learn more about how flexible leaders keep their career on track and avoid derailment<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Consider your personal approach to change. How do you respond when adapting to change? Do you:<\/p>\n If few or none of these responses describes you, you\u2019re not alone. Many of us get stuck, experience anxiety with change, have a hard time letting go, or simply don\u2019t know how to proceed in unknown territory.<\/p>\n As noted in our guidebook Adaptability: Responding Effectively to Change<\/a>, <\/em>to survive change in your organization, industry, or profession, you must first lead yourself through the process of transition.\u00a0<\/em>This includes finding ways to help yourself feel more grounded amidst potential negative emotions, understanding the impact that change is having on you, and understanding the impact of your behavior on others.<\/p>\n When you are involved in leading change, remember that there are 4 core questions that every employee wants answered:<\/p>\n Being proactive and answering these questions before they ask can be beneficial. Learn more about our recommendations on how to transition through change<\/a>.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve evaluated your response to change, it\u2019s important to consider the way your view models the way for others in your organization to embrace change. Employees take cues from their leaders about how to respond \u2014 which is why you need your own point of VIEW of how to accept, embrace, and lead through change. A leader must be:<\/p>\n If you want to improve your ability to adapt to change, practice the 3 components of adaptability in the workplace: cognitive flexibility, emotional flexibility, and dispositional flexibility.<\/p>\n Leaders who have cognitive flexibility are able to incorporate different thinking strategies and mental frameworks into their planning, decision-making, and management of day-to-day work. They can simultaneously hold multiple scenarios in mind and can see when to shift and inject a change.<\/p>\n Cognitive flexibility indicates nimble, divergent thinking, an interest in developing new approaches, the ability to see and leverage new connections, and the propensity to work well across the organization. These leaders readily learn from experience and recognize when old approaches don\u2019t work.<\/p>\n Leaders with emotional flexibility vary their approach to dealing with their own and others\u2019 emotions \u2014 an area that many leaders often fail to consider. An emotionally flexible leader is comfortable with the process of transition, including grieving, complaining, anxiety, and resistance.<\/p>\n Adapting to change requires give and take between the leader and those experiencing the change. A leader without emotional flexibility is dismissive of others\u2019 concerns and emotions and shuts down discussion. At the same time, an emotionally adaptive leader moves the change or agenda forward.<\/p>\n Leaders who display dispositional flexibility (or personality-related flexibility) operate from a place of optimism grounded in realism and openness. They will acknowledge a bad situation but simultaneously visualize a better future. They are neither blindly positive nor pessimistic and defeatist. Ambiguity is well-tolerated.<\/p>\n Dispositionally flexible leaders see change as an opportunity rather than as a threat or danger.<\/p>\n By learning and practicing behaviors that boost your cognitive, emotional, and dispositional flexibility, you can become more adaptable and, in turn, help others to adapt.<\/p>\n As noted in our white paper on adaptable leadership<\/a>, executives who display adaptability are flexible. They seek new and innovative ways to solve problems, master new skills, and view disruption as a challenge rather than a threat \u2014 all needed to prevail through uncertain times.<\/p>\n As a leader, you not only have to respond to change in the workplace, but you also have to the steer change. Use these 5 tips to effectively adapt to change and guide your team forward:<\/p>\n Want to know more about how to become a more flexible leader? Watch our webinar, How to Foster Flexible Leadership in Times of Instability<\/a>.<\/p>\n Build flexible leaders on your team with the capacity to adapt to change effectively. Partner\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>with us to craft a customized learning journey for your leaders using our research-backed modules. Available leadership topics<\/a> include Emotional Intelligence, Leadership Agility, Leading Through Change & Disruption<\/a>, Psychological Safety, and more.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When faced with change, successful leaders are flexible enough to develop and adapt. Use these 5 tips for adapting to change and guiding your team through change. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":48902,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48901","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categories-adaptability-agility","categories-change-leadership","categories-disruption-uncertainty","article-type-leading-effectively-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDo You Show Flexible Leadership? How Well Do You Adapt to Change?<\/h2>\n
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Accepting Change & Assessing Your VIEW for More Flexible Leadership<\/h2>\n
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The 3 Types of Flexibility That Aid Leaders in Adapting to Change<\/h2>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n1. Cognitive Flexibility.<\/h3>\n
Leverage the ability to use different thinking strategies and mental frameworks.<\/h4>\n
2. Emotional Flexibility.<\/h3>\n
Harness the ability to vary one\u2019s approach to dealing with emotions and those of others.<\/h4>\n
3. Dispositional Flexibility.<\/h3>\n
Practice the ability to remain optimistic and, at the same time, realistic.<\/h4>\n
How to Adapt to Change: 5 Tips for More Flexible Leadership<\/h2>\n
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Ready to Take the Next Step?<\/h2>\n