Adapting to Change and Emerging Resilient
Our world needs people at their best, now more than ever. We need more tools to help us adapt to change, lead teams in the midst of uncertainty, and cultivate a resilient mindset. As a new seasons brings changes outdoors, it’s a great reminder that nature offers an abundance of inspiration. After all, it has been adapting to changing conditions for 3.8 billion years.
"Like tiny seeds with potent power to push through tough ground and become mighty trees, we hold innate reserves of unimaginable strength. We are resilient." Catherine DeVrye, The Gift of Nature
Defining resilience
In nature, adaptation is all about long-term survival, and resilience is the ability to recover from disturbance. It’s important to note that recovering does not necessarily mean going back to a pre-disturbance state. Resilience may mean recovering to an alternate stable state.
In today's pandemic, we’re seeing shocks to our lives and systems worldwide. Things aren’t going to magically return to the way they were. We need to adapt. We can either just “get by” or we can emerge with a higher threshold to stress and change. We can emerge with new adaptations, skills and experiences that take us to our next level.
This perspective is so important for leaders. Recently, Deb Yandala, CEO of the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, shared her thoughts with me. “Walking peacefully outside can be the best leadership think time. Every species adapts to its environment and as leaders, we need to adapt to the changes around us, and we should do this intentionally. Our employees and customers are looking for this. Our ability to lead people through change is more important than ever.”
Lessons from nature
The palm tree is highly resilient. During a hurricane, a palm tree can bend, nearly flattening to the ground, yet bounce back upright once the storm passes. The tree has evolved with an internal structure that allows both strength and flexibility. It can bend without breaking.
Consider your internal structure -- your mindset, habits, and support systems at home and at work. Do these support strength and flexibility, and allow you to bounce back from stressors?
Do you look at change with a curious mind and see it as a learning opportunity, or do you spend most of your energy fighting change? What approach would best serve you to grow, lead and find joy?
Geese fly in a V-formation for energy savings and ease of communication. When the lead bird gets tired, it falls behind and another bird takes the lead. The V-formation also makes it easy to keep track of flock-mates and assists in the group's coordination.
Can you create and dissolve new organizational structures to adapt to short-term changing conditions and position teams toward long-term survival? Your people are the foundation of your organization. Constantly take a pulse on their energy, stress level and focus. Find ways to support those who are tired, and empower others to take turns leading.
How can you harness more support from others and take extra time to recharge in the weeks leading up to a big event or a key project milestone? Often, we think we need to “do it all” on our own and work so hard we burn out. But if you plan for periodic disturbances and have the right systems and habits in place, you can perform at your best and enjoy the process.
Build your resilience
Take a break. Work smarter, not harder. Instead of going from Zoom to Zoom, buffer your meetings and calls with some down time so you can take short breaks to recover and power up your mind and body. Stand up, close your eyes, and breathe deeply for two minutes. You’re a biological being, not a robot. Science proves that our minds weren’t made to work nonstop. Give your brain a break and it will reward you with increased performance.
Reset your mindset. During this pandemic, we’ve been thrust into change -- much of it unwelcome and uncomfortable. But think back to the times in your life when you learned and grew the most. Did you feel 100% comfortable? Probably not. We can emerge from the pandemic stronger, more capable, and with new ideas, but we first need to shift our mindset into a state of acceptance, gratitude, curiosity, and growth.
Go outside. Walking in nature can help you break a bad mood, work through problems and come up with new ideas. Being among the trees or near water will help you breathe deeply, lower your heart rate and allow your mind to process thoughts. ead out in your own neighborhood or take advantage of local parks.
Science backs up the value of spending time in nature. Published by the Yale School of the Environment in January 2020, “Nature is not only nice to have, but it’s a have-to-have for physical health and cognitive function.”
A University of Kansas study found that spending more time outdoors increases problem-solving skills and enhances creativity.
Embrace the change
More and more people are catching on to the movement of getting outdoors and appreciating nature. Deb Yandala also told me, “Cuyahoga Valley National Park is packed with people right now. People are turning to nature for physical and mental health in droves, and many are first timers.”
If you haven’t spent much time in nature or looked for lessons of resiliency outdoors, I encourage you to try it out. Feel the powerful shift and experience the benefits when you embrace nature.
Embrace change, too. With the right tools, we can shift from living and leading out of fear and into a state of curiosity and growth. We can remind ourselves that nature adapts to change constantly -- and we’re part of nature, so we can do it, too. Learning how to build resilience will make us better for our families, teams and communities. And our world needs that now more than ever.
