Feature
Team members don’t wait to be told what to do, they act. There’s always a new technology, and we’ve been dealing with technological disruption since, like, forever. Stone Age, Iron Age, Industrial Age, Information Age. Each age changed available resources and processes. Today, that disruptive multiplier is AI; and like its predecessors, it will change the way we do business. Technology is a multiplier, and in each age, success came to those who learned the capabilities of the technology and worked with it hand-in-hand. AI is the next adaptive opportunity. It should not go unnoticed that upskilling is cheaper than rehiring. There’s a caution here, a caution that comes with every new tech. Right now, AI is not fully integrated. Even those who use it successfully, profitably, don’t fully know its capabilities. It’s developing too quickly. Absent that knowledge we tend to use AI to do the same thing we’ve always done a little faster. That’s a better buggy whip, not a car. So, an investment in AI is R&D—a potential loss leader. That investment may not pay immediately, but it will lay the groundwork for future performance. If you don’t invest in your own future, you may be committing yourself to second place. Or worse. Perhaps the most important component of adaptability is
collaboration—collaboration across functional lines and collaboration up and down the firm’s hierarchy. It’s called teamwork. Individuals, teams who know how they fit into the larger whole—what’s expected of them and what they can expect, operate efficiently and leverage opportunity. Those who have been cross trained, or at least cross exposed, understand how the various business mechanisms work and can anticipate the next necessary thing. They work ahead of the problem. Again, not waiting, acting. Less drag, more opportunity. When that collaboration extends up and down the corporate hierarchy, managers and directors, even CEOs get a keener understanding of the service priorities of their roles. It’s not about being the boss; but drawing the best out the team and actively seeking to anticipate what
those teams need to operate, to develop and ultimately to excel. Those executives are not waiting to provide or decide, they’ve already done so. So, what’s the takeaway here? Resilience and adaptability aren’t strategies. They’re capabilities. And like any capability, they can be built. But they require intention and preparation, a willingness to challenge assumptions and redraw boundaries. That might mean reskilling your workforce. Or flattening your org chart. Or investing in tech that doesn’t pay off right away but lays the groundwork for future flexibility. To create adaptability, create and empower independent thinking. Unite the business around purpose and intent, not hierarchy. Step forward, lean into change. It’s a lot less painful than getting clobbered by it. HM
Harbert Magazine 37
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