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These Days, Adaptability Is a Must-Have Trait. Here's How to Spot it - and Increase it

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These Days, Adaptability Is a Must-Have Trait. Here's How to Spot it - and Increase it

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This post is part of TED's "How to Be a Better Human" series, each of which contains a piece of helpful advice from people in the TED community; browse through all the posts here. How do you deal with immense change?
Be honest with yourself: Are you someone who embraces it and evolves with it? Or, do you find tend to retreat and stick with what you know?

In our tumultuous times, adaptability - defined as "how well a person reacts to the inevitability of change," according to venture investor and writer Natalie Fratto in a TED Talk - is a must-have trait. Organizations want team members who can take on new responsibilities and acquire new skills as needed in an uncertain world. Not only is it a quality that you should learn to spot so you can hire and retain the right people, but it's also one that you should build so you can remain indispensable and employable.

In a typical year, Fratto meets with hundreds of start-up founders and she must determine in the course of a brief conversation whether she wants to invest in them and their company. Adaptability is a characteristic that distinguishes many of those who go on to succeed, according to Fratto.

Adaptability is not just useful in the tech world, but for everyone else, too. "Each of us, as individuals, groups, corporations and even governments are being forced to grapple with more change than ever before in human history," she points out. And there's good news ahead: "Adaptability is not fixed," she adds, noting that everyone has the capacity to measure, test, and improve their ability to adapt to new circumstances.
Here's her advice on how to assess adaptability in others - and how you can boost it in yourself.
When interviewing people, try asking "what if" questions

Fratto says these force a person to picture multiple possible versions of the future and make their decisions accordingly. Some examples of these questions might be "What if your main revenue stream were to dry up overnight?" or "What if a heat wave prevented customers from visiting your store?" Fratto gets a sense of a candidate's adaptability based on how many scenarios they're able to come up with and how strong their vision is.

"People often ask too many questions in an interview," says Fratto in an interview with TED, "but it's better to ask four questions and then go deeper" with follow-up questions. One example of a question could be "Describe a difficult change that you've recently undergone at work" and a natural follow-up might be: "What would have happened if [different change X] had occurred instead?" This forces the interviewee to consider an alternative past and future.

"Tell me about a time when you were wrong" is another interview question that can yield insights. You can follow it up with "What is the most compelling argument of those who disagreed with you?" Fratto says you can often tell if people are willing to change their minds - and therefore are more adaptable - by asking them to honestly share a time when they believed they were wrong, not when others perceived they were wrong.

Instead of learning, look for signs of "unlearning"

"Unlearning" is another important sign of adaptability, according to Fratto. "Active unlearners seek to challenge what they presume to already know and instead override that data with new information," she says.

One physical example of unlearning can be found on the ski slopes, where beginner downhill skiers are taught the "pizza" method. When you're at the top of a hill, you point your skis toward one another - like the tip of a slice of pizza - and holding that shape will stop you from sliding down. But as you grow more comfortable, you can't become a great skier with the pizza method; you must unlearn it. It's necessary only to use for a short time until you get comfortable enough to take risks.

While it's difficult to unlearn certain skills that have been drilled into our brains, it is possible to do so - and embrace change, too. "A person can also unlearn by taking a new vantage point or shifting to another perspective," says Fratto. Layering on additional learnings can also show a person's adaptability. "Playing at the intersection of areas where you're not an expert can together build a new set of skills as a building block," she adds.

This mindset is especially useful for people who are looking for a new job. If you're seeking to switch industries, you can embrace unlearning or adjacent learning to find a new position in a different field. By looking at the individual components and pieces of your job - instead of the overall title or position - you can see where your skills might be applied in a different environment. Then, ask yourself, "In which industry is this one skill being underutilized?" and you can move forward, bringing your individual pieces of expertise with you.

Look for signs of exploration

An exploratory mindset can yield clear benefits. As an example, Fratto says after she moved to a new neighborhood, she needed to find a grocery store. She walked out of her apartment, arbitrarily turned left, and found a store a few blocks away which she began to frequent. A few months later, she turned right and stumbled into a grocery store not much further away with a better produce section. In an effort to be efficient, she had stuck with the same-old - and had missed out on something better.

How often do you do that in your own life?

"The path becomes so much more interesting when you wander," says Fratto. "It's better to explore and find ways to break habits that you already have, whether that's trying to watch a movie in a different language, cooking a different cuisine, or walking an alternate route," she says. These seemingly minor changes allow for crucial vantage point shifts and create the ability for unlearning to happen.

A person's adaptability isn't fixed - you can always improve it

"I believe all of us have a strong inherent capability to react to change differently," says Fratto. "However, adaptability has to be proactive, not reactive. We have to seek it out, exercise it and flex it like a muscle."

So how can we become more adaptable?

First, play at the intersections. Let's say you're an expert at marketing, for instance. If you can also make yourself knowledgeable about podcasts, you can become the translator between these teams. Seek out opportunities to bridge existing gaps at your organization.

Second, occasionally take a devil's-advocate role at work. In some situations - stay away from high-stakes ones - you might adopt the position of respectful dissenter. This will allow you, your boss and your teammates see things from the other side. This strategy can also help you from getting too attached to your personal ideas and views.

Fratto says in the tech world, there's an oft-repeated motto "I like leaders who have strong opinions, weakly held." An important component of adaptability is having the ability to form a strong opinion but release it when new information becomes available and makes it obsolete.

Third, keep a failure resume or log. "It's helpful to write down the times where you were wrong, changed your mind, or made mistakes," says Fratto. While many of us view these things with shame or embarrassment, you can start to see them in a positive light - as steps you've taken on your professional journey - and learn from them instead.
Watch her TED Talk now:

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These days, adaptability is a must-have trait. Here's how to spot it - and increase it

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Are you flexible enough to take on new responsibilities and acquire new skills? Not only will adaptability help you stay relevant and indispensable, but it's also a key quality to identify in...

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PBS KIDS Talk About Handling Changes at School 

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PBS KIDS Talk About Handling Changes at School 

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PBS KIDS Talk About | Handling Changes at School | PBS KIDS

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Flexible Thinking: How to Encourage Kids to Go With the Flow | Parenting Tips & Advice | PBS KIDS for Parents

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When kids engage in flexible thinking, they are better able to cope with change and new information, both within the classroom and out in the world.

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Keeping It Cool: Skills for Coping with Change by Dr. Melissa Munro Boyd | Read Aloud

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Keeping It Cool: Skills for Coping with Change by Dr. Melissa Munro Boyd | Read Aloud

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Keeping It Cool: Skills for Coping with Change by Dr. Melissa Munro Boyd | Read Aloud

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Eight Strategies for Teaching Children How to Adapt

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Eight Strategies for Teaching Children How to Adapt

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We try to create a world of structure and predictability for our children. We work hard to give them routines, a regular schedule and consistent expectations. We aim to make their lives predictable, stable, safe and secure. As they grow up, we hope that this early experience will be internalized as a kind of centeredness, and that they will be solid in a world of flux and change. In addition to providing children a safe and secure beginning, how can we prepare them for the ups and downs of life? One way may be to actively foster a positive attitude toward change.

A positive attitude does not require a Pollyanna naivete or the repression of feelings. Instead, it involves realistically assessing the positive and negative sides of an impending change. On the positive side, change is an opportunity to expand one's experience. It is life-enhancing, renewing, and essential to wellbeing. On the other hand, when change involves loss, it means actively grieving and processing feelings. And when a change presents obstacles, it means being proactive and confident that one can affect his fate for the better.

The following are some strategies that parents can use to foster such an attitude in children:

1. As much as we try to make our children's lives safe and predictable, they will experience changes from time to time, sometimes dramatic changes. As parents, we can use these experiences as an opportunity to actively teach our children how to be adaptable. The first step is to observe your child over a period of time. Notice how your child reacts to the prospect of change. Is there a pattern? Does he generally dig in his heels? Does he become anxious and fearful? Or does he look forward to new experiences? These patterns and attitudes can carry into adulthood. The goal is to change negative patterns and attitudes now before they become entrenched.

2. When your child is faced with a new situation or impending change, talk with him about his feelings. Sometimes this is easier said than done. Depending on the child's age, temperament and background, he may not be able to discuss his feelings directly. If a child has trouble articulating how he feels, approach it indirectly. Perhaps bring up a parallel example from your own life and discuss how you felt at the time. With younger children, it is helpful to use a picture book in which the main character goes through similar experiences.

3. Allow your child to grieve over losses change has brought in his life. Acknowledge the losses as real and comfort him in his sadness. If a child is not permitted to express his sadness, it can heighten his anxiety and possibly lead to depression.

4. Discover the picture in your child's head. A child's feelings about an impending change are directly correlated to his understanding of what is happening. If the child is telling himself that he will move to a new neighborhood, and be shunned by the neighborhood kids, it makes sense that he is feeling sad and fearful. Ask your child specifically what he thinks the future will hold once the change occurs.

5. Look for catastrophic thinking. Catastrophic thinking is black and white thinking, but with just the black. Look for the use of the words like "never," "always," "everyone," and "no one." Some examples might be "I'll never make any friends at my school," "Everyone already has friends," or "No one will want to be friends with me." These statements might feel like reality to the child but they are not. It is your job to challenge these statements and help your child develop a more balanced view of what the future may hold. If you repeatedly challenge catastrophic thinking, your child will pick up on the technique and begin to use it himself.

6. Prepare the child in case some of his fears are realized. For example, if nobody talks to the child in the new neighborhood suggest that he strike up a conversation up at the bus stop, or knock on a neighbor's door and introduce himself. Obviously, if the child is very shy or there are other obstacles, you should adjust your suggestions accordingly. Also, ask the child if he can think of solutions. Teaching a child to be proactive as a response to change will have immeasurable benefits over a lifetime. Proactive people feel more in control of their circumstances, and that is directly correlated with life satisfaction.

7. When appropriate, ask the child to try to envision a positive outcome. Encourage him to think of all the wonderful possibilities that a change might bring. This exercise teaches a child to think optimistically. Again, after enough repetition, the child may adopt this technique himself.

8. After a change has occurred and a child has adapted, call attention to his success. Remind him of his "picture in his head" and contrast it with the reality of the situation. This will help him be able to reality-test future thinking.

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Teaching Children How to Adapt | Psych Central

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We try to create a world of structure and predictability for our children. We work hard to give them routines, a regular schedule and consistent expectations. We aim to make their lives predictable, stable, safe and secure.

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Fun, Easy, & Quick Adaptability Activities

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Fun, Easy, & Quick Adaptability Activities

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Successful initial implementation and ongoing maintenance of process improvements requires overcoming the resistance to change. Green Belts are change agents who need to recognize, understand and interpret resistance to change and develop skills to manage it effectively.

Managing change resistance is often covered in training, yet a primary learning issue facing most organizations is the lack of engagement and motivation in lecture-based training. By using simulations, exercises or games, practitioners can enliven their learning environments and improve knowledge retention, skills and applications. This will keep the audience members interacting with each other and with the content.

Games are a great way to illustrate teaching concepts for several reasons. First of all, games are intrinsically motivating. It is no secret that kids like games, but people of all ages like to win or out-strategize the other team - and as long as there is a good tie-in to the teaching subject, this results in people practicing and using Lean and Six Sigma concepts. Standing up and moving around also provides variety and can save a long class from boredom. Finally, traditional classroom activities cater to visual and sometimes audio learners, but kinesthetic learners benefit from more physical activities. Overall, games can make a fun and helpful addition to class.

The following exercises and games were designed to increase participant understanding of the emotional barriers that are part of resistance and how to deal with them. In addition, they increase participant understanding of the support needed to keep changes in place.

Change Game 1: Cross Your Arms

Duration: 5 minutes

Number of participants: unlimited

Materials required: none

Description/Process: For practitioners facing a large class and not a lot of time, this exercise really gets the point of change across. After the introduction of the "change" subject, ask the audience to "cross their arms." My operational definition of "crossed" is folding their arms together, as if they were bored or waiting for something. Once they have completed this task, ask them to "fold their arms the other way," reversed of what they just performed. I guarantee that 90 percent of the class will struggle with it.
Discussion Questions

How did it feel when you were asked to cross your arms the other way?

Did it come naturally or did you have to stop and think about it?

Were you comfortable with doing this differently from your normal process?

What are some things that make people resistant to change?

What can you do to make it easier for people in your organization to accept the changes associated with Lean and Six Sigma?

What kind of support is necessary to maintain the changes associated with Lean and Six Sigma?

Facilitator Notes
When people cross their arms, they do so naturally, without even thinking about it. When they are asked to fold them the other way they, for the most part, stop, refold their arms again and then try to figure out which arm was on top, which arm moves first and so on. Try this yourself and see. Encourage participants to consider and share their own personal emotions related to making changes.

Change Game 2: Change Your Seat

Duration: 5 to 15 minutes (depending on debrief)

Number of participants: unlimited

Materials required: none

Description/Process: This is another quick and easy game. Participants are asked to change where they are sitting so they can experience the emotions and feelings often associated with change. After the class gets situated and comfortable, the facilitator should ask participants to change seats.
Discussion Questions

How did it feel to be asked to change seats?

Did you view changing seats as an opportunity to sit with someone new or as an uncomfortable or undesirable change?

What are some things that make people resistant to change?

What can you do to make it easier for people in your organization to accept the changes associates with Lean and Six Sigma?

If participants move back to their old seating arrangements after the exercise is over, ask the following questions:

Why is it difficult to maintain changes once they are made?

What kind of support is necessary to maintain the changes associated with Lean Six Sigma?

Facilitator Notes
Encourage participants to consider and share their own personal emotions related to making changes. This is what makes the exercise powerful. Another twist to this game might be asking participants to change seats frequently, which also can help them enhance their personal ability to deal with change.

Change Game 3: Change Your Look

Duration: 30 minutes (depending on debrief)

Number of participants: pairs of two

Materials required: none
Description/Process:

1. Tell participants that they are going to assist in an experiment about making changes. I would not mention that it is a game. Obtain their buy-in ahead of time with their agreement to live with the changes made until the experiment is over. Reassure them that the experiment only lasts 30 minutes, and they will not have to do anything that they feel uncomfortable with.

2. Number participants off in groups of two and have each pair stand facing each other.

3. Ask the participants to determine which one will observe and which one will make the changes.

4. Tell the observer to study their partner closely because their partner will be making a few changes.

5. Next, the observer from each pair should turn their back (or close their eyes) and ask the other person to make five changes to their physical appearance. This could mean moving their watch from one wrist to the other, removing a shoe, taking off jewelry or a tie, or removing their glasses. Give participants 30 seconds to complete the changes.

6. Participants may face each other again, all eyes open and ask the partner who did not make changes to identify as many changes as possible. Allow about 30 seconds for this.

7. Do a couple more rounds of steps 5 through 7.

8. Finally, ask participants to make 10 changes in 20 seconds. You will likely get some resistance at this point. When you start to get verbal resistance, stop and move to the discussion questions.

Discussion Questions

How did it feel to be asked to make so many changes?

What are some things that make people resistant to change?

What can you do to make it easier for people in your organization to accept the changes associated with Lean and Six Sigma?

Begin with the preceding questions. At some point participants will begin to refer to the changes made during the exercise. When this starts to happen, ask the following questions:

Why is it difficult to maintain changes once they are made?

What kind of support is necessary to maintain the changes associated with Lean and Six Sigma?

Facilitator Notes
When providing instructions for this exercise, obtain agreement from the participants that they will maintain whatever changes are made until the exercise is over. Prompt the group to think about and share their own personal emotions related to making changes.

Some participants may make the point that these changes are not like changes being made in the organization. If this happens, acknowledge the validity of the statement, but ask how these changes - and people's reactions to them - are similar.

Use Games to Keep Class Moving

Change is one of the most difficult things for humans to readily accept. If we can utilize games to better illustrate change, why not use them? While some adults see games in class as childish, as long as the games are not too ridiculous, many adults are willing to give them a try.

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The Change Game: Engaging Exercises to Teach Change

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Successful initial implementation and ongoing maintenance of process improvements requires overcoming the resistance to change. Green Belts are change agents who need to recognize, understand and interpret resistance to change and develop skills to manage it effectively. Managing change resistance is often covered in training, yet a primary learning issue facing most organizations is the lack of engagement and motivation in lecture-based training.

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Teaching Adaptability to Help Students Succeed in a Changing World

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Teaching Adaptability to Help Students Succeed in a Changing World

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Teaching Adaptability to Help Students Succeed – Connections Academy®

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Learn how to teach kids adaptability so they can embrace change to overcome life’s many challenges.

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Using Setbacks as a Path to Success in Teaching

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Using Setbacks as a Path to Success in Teaching

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Things often don't go as planned in the classroom-here's a systematic way to turn these moments into opportunities for growth.

Dan Grytsku / Alamy Stock Photo

My experience with unexpected outcomes in teaching guided me to the concept of "strategic failure." In our profession, encountering situations that don't go as planned is common. These moments can be profoundly transformative and provide invaluable lessons-we can use these setbacks to improve in teaching. The idea of strategic failure enables us to perceive these challenges as growth opportunities. It reframes setbacks as stepping stones toward becoming more effective and empathetic educators.

The concept of strategic failure, rooted in business, is immensely relevant for educators. Each of the 1,500 educational decisions we make daily presents a chance for success or setback. Imagine redefining every classroom challenge-a lesson plan that falls flat or a classroom management strategy that doesn't pan out-as an opportunity for growth. By approaching these situations as strategic failures, we can extract meaningful lessons.

Doing so does more than just address setbacks; it cultivates resilience and adaptability, equipping us to confront educational challenges directly and enhance our teaching methods. It acts as a driving force for both professional and personal growth, providing a positive example for our students and steering our classroom experiences toward excellence. Implementing the I-F-A-I-L framework I describe below is one way to do this.

I: Initiate Mindset Shift

Cultivate a mindset to anticipate and embrace failure. To do this, I continuously remind myself that failure is an inevitable part of the teaching journey. Rather than being caught off guard when it happens, I'm prepared with strategies to handle it in the healthiest way possible. I acknowledge and honor my emotions-feeling the sting of failure but not allowing it to consume me.
What's your first step toward shifting your mindset?
I strive to build my emotional resilience, recognizing that while disappointment, defeat, or rejection may arise, these feelings do not define me or reflect my worth as a teacher. Instead of internalizing failure, I challenge any negative thoughts it may bring. For instance, after my first Socratic Seminar, I could have concluded that I was an ineffective teacher due to the lack of success. However, I chose to manage my mindset, viewing this experience not as a definitive failure but as a crucial step in my learning process. This perspective encouraged me to continue experimenting with Socratic Seminars, trying different formats, structures, and topics until I discovered what worked best for me and my students.

F: Find Reflection Time

Implement regular reflection through gratitude journaling. To effectively manage failures, I have learned the importance of focusing on the positives-acknowledging and celebrating even the smallest wins. This practice helps to soften the blow of setbacks by placing them within a context of success. Barbara Fredrickson's " positivity ratio " highlights the benefits of experiencing positive emotions at a rate of at least three to one, compared with negative ones.
How do you plan to consistently recognize the wins to lessen the impact of the failures?
This strategy amplifies positive experiences to outweigh the negative ones (not dismissing them). I put this into practice with "My Victories List," a straightforward way to capture the day's joyous moments. I take brief breaks to jot down wins on my phone-during breaks between classes, after the school day, or before bed. Simple acknowledgments, like noting my students' smiles during a Socratic Seminar and its positive effect on their attitudes, are examples of what goes into this list.

A: Activate Support

Seek out or establish support networks and communities. There's power in community. In the book , business coach Dan Sullivan advocates for harnessing the strengths of others through connections and collaborations, championing the idea that partnerships lead to more efficient, innovative, and successful outcomes. For teachers, this translates into actively seeking or creating support networks. The goal is to find spaces-whether through peer discussions, professional learning networks, community organizations, or faith-based groups, or with mentors or coaches, and whether in school, online, or in external settings-to freely share experiences and insights.
Where will you find your community?
These communities should be safe havens where open dialogue and experimenting with innovative approaches are encouraged without the fear of judgment or failure. Such connections have enriched my journey. I have sought support from a therapist, found immense value in my sorority, been enriched in professional learning communities, and gained insights in Facebook groups. In some networks, we meet monthly to exchange best practices, success stories, practical strategies, and teaching tools. These experiences have reinforced the beauty and benefits of having a supportive network.

I: Implement Adaptations

Pursue feedback to take deliberate and strategic actions. Feedback is a crucial tool for taking deliberate and strategic actions. It can range from surveys or interviews that we conduct to gather insights from stakeholders about what's effective (or not) to analyzing numerical data for improvement.

Equally important is acknowledging and giving ourselves credit for the cumulative effort we put into our work, even when the outcomes don't meet our expectations. Recognizing this effort is a form of feedback in itself. For instance, after the initial setback of my first Socratic Seminar, I didn't quit. I gave myself credit by recognizing the value in the extensive preparation and materials I developed, which laid a foundation for me to create a more structured approach for a future seminar.
How will you incorporate feedback into your journey of growth and action?
Feedback is crucial to personal and professional growth, fostering a strategic and deliberate culture of continuous learning and action.

L: Lean Into Lessons

Celebrate the growth that comes from failures. I've learned to view failures not as setbacks but as crucial learning opportunities. I ask myself probing questions to uncover the lessons that each failure teaches: "What was the experience? What aspects didn't work? How did it affect me emotionally? What did I learn from it? How can this experience shape my future actions or approach?"
What steps will you take to approach failures as lessons?
I gained several insights about Socratic Seminars from this pursuit of curiosity. Although I was well prepared, I realized that I hadn't fully equipped my students for this style of dialogue-one they hadn't experienced before. In response, I attended training and adapted my future seminars, by adding scaffolding (prep time with starter questions and sentence frames). Because I leaned into the lessons from the failure, I grew more resilient in navigating the complexities of failure.

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Using Setbacks as a Path to Success in Teaching

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Things often don't go as planned in the classroom-here's a systematic way to turn these moments into opportunities for growth.

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Training Your Mind to Perform Under Pressure

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Training Your Mind to Perform Under Pressure

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Simon Sinek on Training Your Mind to Perform Under Pressure

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What Is Adaptability? How To Adapt To Change Video Lesson