How can you be more adaptable in your career?

Self-awareness isn't a silver bullet for adaptability. Identifying strengths and weaknesses is a starting point, not the destination. Passion and fear are volatile; curiosity isn't always a compass. Resistance sometimes hints at needed boundaries. Tools like SWOT or personality tests oversimplify complexity. True adaptability requires a dance with discomfort, an embrace of the unknown beyond self-defined limits. It's not just knowing yourself but evolving beyond what you know. In the pursuit of adaptability, the depth of self-awareness is but a single stroke in the larger canvas of perpetual transformation.

Our education system as well as training in the early part of our career is focused on improving our skills. We are never taught to explore ourselves more and understand what industries, organizations or roles suit us better. Take time out to reflect on what are your strengths (come to your naturally) or what are your weaknesses, doesn’t work even if you try very hard. Keep working to focus on your strengths and being about life shifting experiences. This could help you in your career as well.

Enhance career adaptability by staying open to learning new skills, embracing change, and seeking diverse experiences. Proactively network to broaden connections and perspectives. Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and innovation. Stay informed about industry trends and technological advancements. Cultivate a mindset of continuous improvement and resilience, enabling you to navigate evolving career landscapes with agility and success.

Speak to everyone at the office: Everyone has lived a life that is second to none. Getting exposed to everyone's experiences will give you new ideas and assess yourself on how you can adapt to the change. Seek discomfort: Adaptation is a skill. Like any other skill, it can be developed by practising it more and more. Do not oppose change. Rather, invite it. Getting exposed to more and more change is only way you can learn how to adapt.

One of the best ways to become adaptable is to broaden your exposure. Meet people from diverse job roles, cultures, and industries. Interact with people you are unfamiliar with. Through this, you not only widen your network but also gain an understanding of human psychology. Initially, adapting to new environments, and talking with strangers might be difficult. But once you have a bigger circle, you automatically learn to adapt and adjust. Adaptability doesn't mean shutting out your skills or brand voice. Rather, it's about learning to speak up and being heard in a crowd. And flexibility and adaptability go a long way in shaping your brand voice. Greater exposure = More ideas = More knowledge = Better personal branding skills.

Treat your career like an experiment. Test and validate your hypotheses or assumptions about whether you would like to work in a specific industry or role. Make decisions based on data, and the way you collect more data is by trying different experiences or speaking to new people. Share your results and be open to different interpretations of your data because learning is the main goal.

In my career journey from recruiter to Career Coach and even personally, I've found that continuous learning is crucial for adaptability. To remain competitive, you should actively seek out online courses, workshops, and certifications. This proactive step not only can help diversify your skill set but can allow you to pivot when new opportunities arise.

As a career coach, I observed adaptability comes from your repertoire of skills. So if you are well equipped with diverse skill sets, the more options you have and hence your adaptability goes up. Just one important tip though, it's not just additional skills but skills that matter and with tangible ROIs and how you identify these skills is a matter of research and your passion pursuit. Steve Jobs was into typography, and it spun off into an incredible journey for design flair and excellence. These latter skills are evergreen no matter how disruptive technology is or will be.

Learning to learn is a skills in itself. It doesn’t matter what you are learning, but making sure you pick up some skills or the other is critical. We all have our interests and more of learning. The fundamental is constantly learning keeps our neurons fired and hence keeps developing our brain and helps us grow in life as in work!

In navigating a dynamic career landscape, networking is a game-changer. Building relationships across various industries and roles expands your perspective. Engaging in discussions broadens your understanding of different sectors.

Keep yourself updated on industry trends, technological advancements, and market changes. If needed, engage with mentors or coaches who have experience in navigating change and adapting in their careers.