Adaptability - The Art of Winning in an Age of Uncertainty

In the March 2013 leadership blog, we talk about relevance and the importance of staying relevant in a constantly changing business environment.  In keeping with that theme, this month’s book review offers some additional ideas on how to do just that.  Adaptability by Max McKeown offers a blueprint through a set of 17 Rules for successfully adapting in an age of uncertainty.  Of the 17 Rules, my favorite three are sequentially Rules, 5, 6 and 7 listed below.

• Rule 5 – Stability is a Dangerous Illusion – when stability is the end game, human nature is to seek solutions that achieve a level of stability, which may be, in and of itself, unachievable.
• Rule 6 – Stupid Survives until Smart Succeeds – be open to new paradigms and paths to success, but not just for the sake of newness and not at the expense of progress.
• Rule 7 – Learning Fast better than Failing Fast – experimentation helps us learn what works from failure beyond learning to fail.  The tragedy of failure is not the failure but the lack of learning from failure.

Enjoy the Book!