We are often told that we should be leaders that are ‘adaptable, strong and resilient’ and that we should aspire to build businesses with the same qualities.
But, really, when I hear this type of language, the question I ask myself is: Are these the traits necessary for success. What do you think?
Is It All Just Talk?
There is always vogue language kicking around as to ‘the type of person you should be’ and ‘the type of business that will be successful’. These days, you often hear language that suggests, ‘you have to become more resilient to take the hits that will come’. Or that ‘you need to be strong and bring your strengths to the forefront’ and ‘work them hard’. But then, you also ‘need to be adaptable and embrace change’, which, to me, seems to go against ‘being resilient and strong’.
I think also the language of ‘adaptable, strong and resilient’ describes the way people and businesses are seen to have responded to events. It’s an outcome – not the underlying driver, catalyst or trait that allowed that outcome to be achieved.
For example: ‘That business is really resilient. They lost that huge contract that they counted on so much but they fought back and found other work that kept them going. Who would have thought they would have survived and done so well?’.
In the above case, the focus should not be on being ‘resilient’, but rather what allowed the business to be resilient. That is the most important question and answer.
It’s All About People (Well, Maybe)
Successful businesses, strangely enough, are made up of successful people. But it starts with the people who create and build the businesses. A business cannot be successful without people.
All businesses rely on people to make them a success. Digitalisation, the internet, artificial intelligence and any other technology or asset you may think of, do not make a business a success if the human element is removed from the equation. People are your customers, suppliers, employees, and stakeholders – they’re everywhere.
And when it comes to ‘adaptability, strength and resilience’ it starts with the individual person. Again, a business is not adaptable, strong or resilient by itself; it’s the people who are. It is their individual traits that allow the business to become that way.
But, and it is a big BUT, the business will develop a culture, values, processes and the like, that will either support or extinguish these individual traits. You must consciously build a business that will support the traits you seek in individuals.
How To Compete To Win
What does ‘adaptable, strong and resilient’ really mean to the competitiveness of a business and why are these outcomes important?
Let’ start by restating how a business competes effectively. There are three core elements:
- To be competitive all businesses should exist for a purpose. That purpose will be related to the specific customer need that the founders created the business to meet. That need may well have evolved since the business was first formed but the founding purpose should remain the cornerstone of the business.
- Purpose provides a cornerstone upon which to build the business, a greater reason to exist than profit and a direction in which to grow. Without purpose, a business is really directionless and is likely just chasing dollars. You will find most businesses were founded with a purpose but often can, over the years, become lost.
- If the concept of purpose for competitiveness is new to you then read my earlier article, ‘Purpose Equals Strength’. And, if the concept of profit not coming first doesn’t really make sense to you, perhaps also read, ‘Is Business Doing The Right Thing By Society?’.
- To compete effectively, a business must be able to deliver greater customer value than others in their chosen marketplace. In doing so it must not only discern the real needs of their customers but also in what way they are going to deliver greater value than any competitor. The positioning of your offering in your chosen marketplace so as to achieve greater customer value, consistent with your purpose, is reflected in the business’s competitive posture. It’s how they will – and do – outcompete everyone else.
- The business’s ability to stay connected with its purpose and focused on customer value with a committed team that does enable it to outcompete, rests with the strength of its competitive engine. This engine determines whether the business is able to deliver on its promises of customer value.
Put these three core elements together and you have:
-
A business that was founded for a purpose aligned with customer need.
-
Developed a competitive posture that will allow it to deliver greater customer value than anyone else.
-
All of which is built upon the strength of its competitive engine.
Consider now the role of being ‘adaptable, strong and resilient’ against these core elements:
Adaptable:
Customer needs change, markets evolve, technology develops and competitors strive to outcompete us. Nothing remains static, so your competitive posture must also allow you to grow. ‘Adaptable’ simply reflects your willingness to change but proactively so that you always step out, evolve and innovate, always leading the market.
Some of my previous articles, ‘The Myth of A “Mature” Business’ and ‘Innovate or Disrupt, Which Is Better?’ explore what can happen to businesses that cannot adapt.
Strong/Strength:
When the trait of strength is used, many in business would relate it to ‘financial strength’, but rather in a competitive context, it is referring to a clear awareness of your business’s inherent strengths that allow it to deliver more customer value. What is it that your business does better than anyone else? And how may that be positioned to allow you to provide a customer value greater than anyone else?
If you are unable to identify and invest in your unique strengths, then it is unlikely you will be able to outcompete anyone.
An article in Strategy & Leadership by John K. Coyle titled, ‘Design for Your Strengths’ tells of John’s story as a competitive speed skater. It’s a good and relevant read as it unpacks his personal journey of seeking to identify the unique strength, which would allow him to set a new world record. His battle was against the ‘system’ wanting him to train and compete in the same way as everyone else but did not lift his unique strengths to the surface.
In business, if you compete on the basis of everyone else’s strengths then you are playing a losing game. You must compete on your strengths. My article, ‘Staying True To Your Competitive Strength’ may assist you in this respect.
Resilient:
Resilient is used in the context of your ability to bounce back, to take the hit and get up again. In business, it’s about staying the course and overcoming challenges. But it should not be limited to just overcoming challenges or failures, which is often the context it is used in.
I believe resilience is about values, discipline, focus, commitment and a faith in oneself and your business. You can stay the course because you know it is the right course and your ‘character’ requires you to commit yourself to what you believe in.
Diane Coutu in her article, ‘How Resilience Works’ for the Harvard Business Review, notes resilience is something that you tend to recognise after the fact and only know you have through experience. Resilience does matter in business and it often determines who will win and who will fail.
Diane also cites Jim Collins’ book, ‘Good To Great’, in which he notes, resilience is what allows businesses to transform themselves out of mediocrity. It’s not pure optimism –although an element of optimism must be present – rather it is acceptance of reality and a willingness to accept that challenge and work through it.
I Am, And, Therefore, You Are
A business is no more than the sum of its people, and the traits of adaptability, strength and resilience, which are important to competitiveness, are first brought to a business through those people.
If you, therefore, believe these traits are important to the success of your business you must firstly seek out those who possess these traits. What would someone who has these traits look like? I believe the following would provide a good starting point, they are:
- Self-confident but not arrogant.
- Strong but relaxed.
- Articulate in purpose and what they seek in life.
- Clear in their beliefs and values.
- Renewing in their words.
- Grateful in life.
- Giving.
- Humble.
- Playful, in that they dream and imagine easily and naturally.
- Conscious and focused on their health – mentally, physically and emotionally.
They are people who have a clear self-image of who they are, what they excel at and have set their lives up to renew and build upon this self-image.
Read my articles, ‘Success Is The Fuel Of Life’ and ‘Conditioning Yourself To Succeed’ to learn more on the topic. Also my guide, ‘Achieve – Creating A Life Of Enduring Success’ examines this theme in depth.
If you recruit the right people then you must allow them to ‘be themselves’ in your business for their traits to flow into your business. In this respect, the value, processes, culture and leadership you create are critical.
In Action
Is your business is adaptable, strong and resilient? Your answer should be something like this:
‘Yes, my business is ‘adaptable, strong and resilient’ because I recruit the right people and ensure my organisational design supports them. All my key people must carry the Achiever Trait.
We know clearly where our strengths lie and we ‘double down’ on them in competing effectively in our chosen marketplace. We don’t play by competitors’ rules, we deliver greater value to our customers in a way which lifts and leverages our unique strengths.
Our customers’ needs and the marketplace is constantly changing and we seek not to just be the follower having to adapt to these changes. We seek to be the change agent forcing others to play catch up.
And we have a clear purpose for our existence as a business that clearly focuses us on our customers’ evolving needs. It’s reinforced by our values, culture and leadership, which allows us to stay the course. I wouldn’t just say we are resilient, rather we are determined and committed, innovative and creative, and come to work every day with a passion and joy for what we do. Because of all that, we will keep doing it until we can’t do it anymore.
My business is adaptable, strong and resilient but these are just outcomes of who we are. We focus on sustaining and growing the ‘who we are’ and I, therefore, expect these outcomes will continue.’
Active Knowledge Question:
List the people in your business who you would consider to be adaptable, strong and resilient. Does your ‘organisational design’ allow them to be who they are?
Act Now:
Not sure how to become an Achiever, someone who has a life of enduring success? Then read Achieve – Creating A Life of Enduring Success.
Need to lift the leadership performance in your business? Learn how in C88 – Leadership Performance Guide and Journal.
Want to become part of the Entrepreneurs+ Community? Sign up for my eNewsletter, and join the conversation by sending me a question via Ask Richard.
All the best in the success of your business,
Richard Shrapnel
