The DNA Elements in AdaptDNA
“Our DNA is coded to harmonize the frequency of the atoms we use to build ourselves. The frequencies of the subatomic particles making up the atoms are changed subtly enough to do this but not enough to change their structure. You could say throughout our development, from birth to death, our genes are composing a harmonic symphony that makes us what we are. It's what makes us individual; it's our life force, our soul.”
~ D.S. Smith
I use the analogy of DNA in my company name AdaptDNA because I believe if you practice something over and over again you become masterful. What was once difficult becomes gradually easier and before long, second nature… part of your DNA.. Using the Conscious Competence Ladder to demonstrate what I mean:
1. Unconsciously unskilled – we don't know that we don't have this skill, or that we need to learn it.
2. Consciously unskilled – we know that we don't have this skill.
3. Consciously skilled– we know that we have this skill.
4. Unconsciously skilled – we don't know that we have this skill, but we don't focus on it because it's so easy.
I assert that everyone in your organization is at least consciously skilled but perhaps doesn’t realize how adaptable they are. My program will get them present to their skills and allow them to learn ways to become masterful at being adaptable, knowing it is in their DNA and set them up for success.
Motivation comes from within, let me help them tap into it.
“Awareness is the greatest agent for change“
~ Eckhart Tolle
(A) Acknowledge the disturbance
Implementing change can be challenging. It is important to step back and identify what the disturbance or challenge is, before tackling a strategy to implement change.
Day to day you want your staff and teams, to be positive and embrace the organization and it’s processes and procedures, and the way you do business. So, it is not easy to then transition into taking a critical look at the way you do everything.
Change is inevitable. ... Successful organizations foster a positive attitude toward change by anticipating it and purposefully planning for change. Change must be addressed in an intentional, goal-oriented manner. Change is something that people should do, not something that is done to them.
The concept of change is often referred to with a sense of negativity and reluctance. Rightfully so, if it’s not broken, why bother fixing it? Growth is the primary response to this question. If change does not happen, you will not experience personal or professional growth. Reflect on that for a moment. Consider a time when you experienced a moment of growth. What happened just before? Likely your response is that something...changed.
We will have an in-depth discussion about what is not working and prioritize which problems are most affecting the organization's ability to achieve its goals.
This can be a difficult step of the process because it is natural to take it personally when something is not working. Of course, we want people in our organization to care about how processes work, and to take pride in what they do and what they accomplish from day to day. We hopefully encourage and foster that attitude every day. So of course, when we then ask you to look at what doesn’t work, we are asking you to be self-critical. It is contradictory to the way we want to think on a daily basis.
I will work with the staff to infuse adaptability into their DNA to pave the path for change.
Cheshire cat told Alice, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there!”
~ Alice in Wonderland
(D) Determine the desired outcome
This can be a fun stage of the change process where we invite the team to envision what could be. You want to map out where you want to end up, after the changes you have implemented. To be successful in implementing any significant change, the team has to see where they are headed in order to be motivated to put the effort into making changes. They will want to see the benefits and what value will be added to them and the organization.
It’s a good strategy to document the results you will achieve and not the steps or actions to take in order to achieve the results. The changes you want to implement are not as important in this stage as the visualization of the end results. Ensure your outcomes are vivid, tangible and reachable.
This stage is important so that everyone gets on the same page for the desired outcome. If you know what outcomes you are setting out to achieve, you will be able to set benchmarks to know when you are achieving them along the way and the final outcome.
Being able to manage their present state of physical, mental and emotional health, will prepare them to envision a new future for themselves and the company.
"With a strong inner sense of who you are, you can easily adapt to and thrive in new environments."
~ Al Siebert
(A) Address the block
If change was easy, we would just do it. But most people find it difficult. You must address the block that is in the way, before you can expect to tackle change smoothly.
“If your identity is based mostly on external factors, you will feel anxious about change that threatens your identity sources. You will try to keep the world around you frozen in place. If your identity is based on your personal qualities, abilities, and values, you can let parts of your world dissolve away without feeling threats to your existence.” ~ Al Siebert
Here are some of the blocks that could be in the way:
Lack of Belief that there is value or benefits to the change
- Resistance to doing things differently
- Fear of change
- Lack of skills
- Lack of awareness of why the change was being made
- Impact on current job role
- Organization’s past performance with change
- Lack of visible support and commitment from managers
- Fear of job loss
Identifying these blocks at the individual level is key to having a thriving staff with adaptability in their DNA who are ready to take on change
"The experience I have had is that once you start talking about [experiencing a mental health struggle], you realize that actually you’re part of quite a big club."
~ Prince Harry
(P) Present ideas and strategies
Understanding the impacts of stress and other triggers, allows awareness to be translated into helpful solutions. Presenting strategies to take care of their physical, mental and emotional health will set them on their path to embrace new challenges and changes with confidence.
Part of that strategy is identifying their Agility Mindset Score. It will enable them to identify where they are, on the scale between Stressed out, Peak performance and Switched off.
"Allow yourself to be proud of yourself and all the progress you’ve made. Especially the progress that no one else can see."
~ Anonymous
(T) Track progress
Self-care and managing our physical, mental and emotional health is not a once and done kind of thing. It will not get into your DNA without making it a practice and allowing it to become who you are.
I believe we are born with adaptability but life throws us circumstances and challenges that have us create blocks as we discussed earlier. Breaking through those blocks and implementing the strategies are the beginning of implementing an adaptability DNA mindset into your life.
Checking in on your progress is key and will keep you growing and strengthening your AdaptDNA.