When faced with a tough moment or a challenging situation, Jim would encourage people to invest in improving their skills, rather than spending energy to reduce their problem.
This advice is just as relevant in today’s time given the continual change and disruption businesses are exposed to on a daily basis.
In essence, what Jim is referring to is having an adaptive capacity. Simply put, this is the ability to adapt to your environment in such a way that you allows you to create a competitive advantage or position of control.
In today’s environment the rate of change is faster and more complex than ever before.
One study by Neal Woolrich, Director of HR Advisory at Gartner, revealed that in 2016, the average business could expect to have two planned changes within 12 months and that about 74% of people were open to embracing change.
Fast forward just 6 years to 2022, the study found that the average business could expect to have ten planned changes within 12 months and only 38% of people were still open to embracing change.
Having an adaptive capacity is proving to be an essential skill set to sustain a competitive advantage.
Tapping into a mindset that allows you to see solutions more readily and expand your perspective when faced with challenges starts with asking different questions.
Questions expand your problem-solving competency by helping you think more divergently and creatively when dealing with change that you can’t control
Here are three frameworks that can help you to thrive in the face of adversity.
Question 1: What sits behind this change?
It has been estimated that we only see one tenth of an iceberg, being the portion that sits above the water, and the remaining nine tenths is submerged.
With every change that you deal with, there are countless influencing factors that are driving the change. To simply react to what is being presented may blindsight you to the bigger picture of why it is occurring.
Thinking beyond the change allows you to understand the intention of the change and respond in a way to maintain control and get a better outcome.
Think of a client who changes their mind about a listing, a prospective buyer whose criteria keep changing, or even a property owner who is inconsistent with their management instructions.
Simply reacting to them only deals with what is obvious, however by taking the time to understand why they changed their mind, criteria or instructions gives you a deeper insight into the psyche of your clients and what they need in order to keep them, and their portfolio, in house.
Question 2: What am I protecting?
People are creatures of habit. You have routines of how you get ready in the morning and you have rituals of what gets you into a positive frame of mind.
You may even have a preferred seat at a café or favourite restaurant, a familiar way you get to work, or an order in how you like to arrange your clothes.
You have a certain way that you greet people, how you eat your food or even brush your teeth.
Your brain likes consistency to simplify life and allow certain day to day activities to be carried out unconsciously.
The flip side of that is that your brain may also resist change because change is perceived as a threat to consistency, predictability and having a sense of control over your environment.
You will have familiarity with certain software, Apps, internal processes and CRM systems that allows you to be efficient and achieve your outcomes.
Change to these platforms can expose a vulnerability of not being able to deliver service or outcomes in a way that you know you are capable
You are likely to protect what is familiar, even at the expense of progress and improved efficiency or outcome, simply because change feels like a threat to your competency.
When you resist change, ask yourself what are you really protecting here?
Question 3: How can I capitalise on this?
Entrepreneur and podcaster, Gary Vaynerchuk will often start his interviews asking people ‘Hey, what’s good?’.
Whilst this might just simply be a throwaway line, it often leads the person being interviewed to open by talking about something good in their world that they can celebrate.
When change is forced upon you (interest rate changes, land tax increases, policies on tenants’ rights ,etc.), the response is generally not a celebration but more of a commiseration of how this will negatively impact you.
That’s fair enough. Deploying an adaptive capacity in these instances, however, will direct your focus onto how you might be able to benefit from this?
Whilst this may initially appear to be an absurd question, it can lead to a new train of thought about unexplored opportunities, unconsidered products or services.
For a buyer, what is the possible upside of a rate rise? Does it reduce the number of competing buyers in your price range?
Can it motivate buyers to attend auctions, place offers or become more active in their portfolio?
