How to Manage Temporary and Permanent Adaptations

Recently, in Portland, Oregon we experienced an ice storm that shut down the city. Many people lost power for days on end and were forced to adapt to various challenges and changing situations. It made me think about the situations in our business or leadership lives where we are forced to quickly pivot due to changing environments and information. It made me wonder, is there any sort of leadership application here?

In this episode, Brian and I share an unscripted conversation about current life challenges and adaptation. We take one simple idea and really run with it– Brian comes up with a few great thoughts, which makes me think of some other ideas, which in turn then gives him some other insights. We talk about adaptation and well-being. We talk about how to figure out what your business looks like, what your leadership looks like, what your family, relationships, and all kinds of other things look like as they relate to change and taking care of yourself. We also dive into a number of tips for managing adaptations whether they are permanent or temporary. Enjoy!

How to Manage Temporary and Permanent Adaptations

The recent ice storm in Portland is a great example of a temporary adaptation, but as we all know in our current pandemic reality, many of us have been dealing with permanent adaptations as well. There are many people who have gone through so many changes throughout the last year that they no longer know where normal is. They don’t know where to go back to because all the memories of where they go back to, those places and those experiences, have also changed.

We’re challenging leaders to think about how their businesses are operating now, in light of all the changes that have happened in our environment, in our country, and in the world. Are there ways that we can operate more efficiently or leaner? Or are there things that our companies need more? How do we manage our adaptations to the changing world?

Here are some ideas:

1. Ask for outside help

Ask for an outside objective perspective. We have all been experiencing a form of tunnel vision throughout the pandemic. If you think of that same tunnel vision with emotions, you become more emotionally sensitive as well. The more stress you’re under or the more pressure or challenges you face, the less likely you are to make good sustainable decisions. So the number one way to manage adaptations is to ask for help.

2. Make Shorter Timelines

The second piece of advice is to make shorter timelines. There are many leaders that are still trying to make decisions with a much longer-term timeframe in mind than something that is much shorter. You’ve heard many people say to run the short sprint or be a marathon leader. We think right now, short sprints are much more healthy.

3. Engage in Self-Care

How do you take care of yourself in ways that are productive? Consider having someone help or advise you on how you’re taking care of yourself. What is the equation that works for you? Is it movement, exercise, sleep? Ask yourself what you need more of and also ask yourself where you have too much, www.sleepmedsite.com.

4. Focus on Small Positive Progress

We often get overwhelmed by our definitions of success, and in a time of constant change, that success can be harder and harder to define. A client recently shared this simple piece of advice that can be applied to any person or business: Focus on one step of positive progress every day as the measure of success.

5. Regenerate Your Strengths

How do you give yourself permission to regenerate, to offload the burdens you’re carrying? We often talk about the generative aspects of Strengths, when they bring life to you and life to other people, and the degenerative aspects, when they suck the life out of you and suck the life out of somebody else. But we don’t often talk that much about the regenerative nature of Strengths when you give yourself a break so that you can regain energy to re-engage. How can we leverage the language of Strengths to ask ourselves which Strength of mine needs to be regenerated?

6. Balance Harmony in Synchronicity

Ask yourself, how am I living in balance with what I need? How am I living in harmony with those that are nearest to me, that I’m sharing life with right now? And how do I live in sync with the environment and the culture?

7. Get Out of Your Own Way

Ask your life partner, spouse, or a friend who knows you to help talk through your challenges and be willing to address the fear of being vulnerable. Part of this whole process is understanding that sometimes we create our own boundaries that stand in our way.

How Do You Manage Adaptations?

We’d love to hear your feedback and insights on this episode. What did the topics bring up for you? Did the conversation spur your thoughts or ideas on adaptation and well-being? Send us an email to connect@leadershipvisionconsulting.com or connect with us on social media, or comment on this blog.