Hartford, CT You don’t need us to tell you that the pandemic has caused tremendous disruption in our lives. Yet, it’s just one example of the forces disrupting in our lives. According to Oxford Languages online, disruption can be “disturbance or problems which interrupt an event, activity or process.” That certainly describes the pandemic. But there is a second definition – “radical change to an existing industry or market due to technological innovation.” For those who work in the world of real estate, development, design, and construction, the second definition hits home.
Technology is changing rapidly. Some innovations, like blockchain and smart contracts, may seem as though they are on the far horizon because we think in linear time. Technology disruption is exponential, which means that the rate of change keeps increasing, and technology appears to be on the horizon will be in your hands before you know it. Consequently, technology adoption will be “deceptive before it’s disruptive” according to Ross Thornley, co-founder & CEO, AQai - Adaptability Assessments & Coaching, speaking at last week’s virtual AEC Leadership Conference, sponsored by the Construction Institute.
If you are running a business in this environment, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. It seems there is no such thing as business as usual. Technological change is set against the backdrop of labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, inflation, and market uncertainty, not to mention the personal disruption we have experienced in our own lives and the disruption colleagues, customers, and employees are experiencing in theirs. In “Adaptability: The New Competitive Advantage,” published in the Harvard Business Review, Martin Reeves and Mike Deimler tell us that businesses that thrive “are quick to read and act on signals of change.”
The good news is that adaptability is a skill you can learn and apply to your personal as well as your business worlds. Experts like Ross Thornley have analyzed the skills and mindset training needed to succeed as adaptable leaders identifying a scientifically valid measure of the 17 different dimensions of adaptability. The abilities needed to be an adaptable leader include grit, mental flexibility, mindset, resilience, and the ability to “unlearn”. Your character and environment also play a part. It’s hard to be an adaptable leader in a group determined to preserve the status quo. The Construction Institute’s 2021 AEC Leadership explored themes of disruption, diversity and adaptability. Want to learn more about the skill of adaptability? We invite you to join the Institute’s group of thought leaders to help shape the industry and train the next generation of leaders. Want to know what’s next on the horizon? Don’t miss the Construction Institute’s 12th Annual Visionaries Forum on March 10, 2022 at the Mark Twain House. For details, please visit our website at construction.org.
Written by the CI Editorial Team.