I just returned from biking in Croatia. The trip provided an unexpected lesson about dealing with the risk that things might go wrong — whether you’re launching a new country or a new high-stakes strategy.
Croatia is full of surprises. It has more than 1,000 islands dotted along the Adriatic Sea. We biked across islands with rocky cliffs and shorelines, fields of olive trees and vineyards, thousands of years of complex history, and proud welcoming people.
But I also saw sobering evidence that war casts a long shadow. Even the smallest town had a story of centuries of invasions and fierce fights to exist and be independent. And it wasn’t all ancient history. There were fresh flowers for fallen heroes of the Homeland War (Serb/Croatia 1991-1995). Bullet holes in homes and schools that have never been repaired. Empty towns from which hundreds of people fled and never came back.
We talked to many 30- or 40-somethings who were children during the Homeland War. Some remember living in the basement for years to avoid shelling. Their parents’ generation bore the brunt of the stresses of that war but raised them to feel a sense of calm despite the chaos. Their grandparents and ancestors led families and communities through disruptive conflicts over and over again, with tenacity and grace.
Whatever the age, I found these people incredibly optimistic about their future.
They weren’t full of blame, bitterness, or victimhood. Their comments reflected their mindset:
“War is created by politicians, not by neighbors.”
“That was then; this is now.”
“We decided to take the risk and work to rebuild trust”.
“We simply adapted and moved on.”
As I listened to them, I was reminded of lessons I’ve learned driving high-stakes strategies that didn’t always go smoothly. Lessons from working with clients, in my research, and from my own experience.
Risk is simply about unknowns.
Sometimes the unknowns create results that are delightful. Sometimes those unknowns create bumps in the road. Sometimes uncertainty results in head-on collisions. Even wars.
Creating an adaptive advantage is the only way to thrive.
In nature, there are many species like the chameleon whose bodies are equipped to quickly adapt to new situations. But how well do organizations quickly adapt to a changing environment? It turns out, not very well.
Boston Consulting Group (BCG) observed, “Most companies haven’t built the capabilities to manage, much less thrive, amidst uncertainty.” They may say they are agile, but uncertainty can cause them to freeze.
I’ve learned over time that despite how agile they might claim to be, many companies actually lack two key ingredients they need to deal with uncertainty: adaptive leaders and an adaptive mindset.
– Adaptive leaders do NOT try to have all the answers! Instead, they are open about what they do not know and invite people to shape the future WITH them. They challenge people to courageously face a new problem with curiosity, to understand it, and then move forward and take action to solve it. As Joerg Esser in his Harvard Business Review article posed, adaptive leaders write “the ability to adapt and transform into the company’s DNA.”
– With an adaptive mindset, a team ( or ecosystem or country!) learns to evaluate disruption objectively and to align quickly so they can adapt TOGETHER. Instead of freezing up or blaming others when disruption occurs, these teams come to EXPECT that they will have to continually adapt. They also EXPECT that they will survive and even thrive.
As I biked along, I realized that this understated, matter-of-fact optimism I was seeing was in fact an “adaptive advantage” being played out across a culture and across generations. It was as if Croatia was whispering to me:
“Sure there’s a risk that there will be more uncertainty in your future. But the REAL danger is NOT taking the risk to adapt (again).”
As I came back to headlines screaming with new uncertainties every day, I appreciated the reminder.
Do YOU find the risk of adapting (again) a challenge? How have you created your own adaptive advantage? Welcome your thoughts.
–Susan
This article is part of my newsletter, “Insights for Driving a New Direction,” to equip and energize leaders with practical ways to move forward, whether you’re leading a new strategy or getting one back on track. Subscribe if you’d like insights like this once or twice a month. To learn more about De-Risk System for Impact℠ workshops and custom engagements, and my upcoming book, explore my website at www.gotomarketimpact.com, or message me at susan.schramm@gotomarketimpact.com.
