Great Partners are Flexible
Great Partners are Flexible
Research indicates that only about 15% of a business person’s success can be attributed to job knowledge and technical skills. Fully 85% of success is determined by the ability to adapt readily to changing situations and deal expediently with people. These skills require enormous flexibility and adaptability – graceful bending.
In this rapidly changing world, old ways no longer work. Research and development make yesterday’s products and procedures outmoded today. To deal with change the most valuable quality you can develop is flexibility. Remaining open-minded and adaptable to new circumstances allows you to examine any situation for its opportunity or benefit.
High achievers are invariably those who remain calm and flexible in the midst of unexpected turbulence. They experience problems and setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow, not as horrible reasons to procrastinate or quit. They change plans to meet the need of the moment. They are able to generate alternate plans, think of solutions and not repeat mistakes.
Once you have a plan, it may be difficult to change it and “go with the flow”. Of course, it is true that success often requires perseverance and sticking to a plan. At the same time, inflexibility can intensify a problem which is interfering with your plan. When you remain flexible you can detour around an obstacle and still reach your desired destination.
There are countless examples of times when bad situations occur that are beyond your control, for example – something you anticipated doesn’t happen, someone doesn’t deliver on a promise, someone changes your plans without your consent, you make less money that you projected, etc. Some questions to ask at these times are:
What’s really important right now?
What is the worst that can happen?
What are the alternatives?
A plan certainly can help you manage your time; however a flexible plan will help manage your stress. Write your schedule in pencil rather than carve it in stone.
Just as you need to adapt to changing circumstances, it is vital to be flexible in conflicts with other people, especially partners. Learn to bend quickly and adapt with ease.
Rigidly sticking to your point of view and arguing endlessly usually comes from a need to be right all the time. Since everyone sees the world from their own perspective, there rarely are ultimate rights and wrongs in an argument. The key to having people consider your side is to show that you are an open-minded person with a genuine interest in their ideas. When you want someone to agree with you acknowledge their perspective, even if you don’t understand it. If you start where they are and begin working from that position they will become less rigid and you may reach accord. Rigid thinking on both sides will only lead to mutual defensiveness and escalation of disagreement.
Of course, there is a limit to how flexible you can be with your actions and interactions. You should never compromise on personal standards or principles. There is a great difference between flexible decision-making and practicing “situational” ethics. Just look at Martha Stewart and the executives from Enron.
Examine your ability to be flexible and adapt quickly to new situations and ideas. Consider that brittle steel can be shattered with a slight impact. When steel has been tempered it can withstand a mighty earthquake – it will bend easily and not break. If you need some tempering consider the following suggestions:
Be responsive to change rather than resistant.
Resolve to seek solutions rather than discord.
Positive thinking may give you power. Flexible thinking gives you even greater strength!
Great Partners are Flexible - To learn more about this author, visit Jean Charles's Website.
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When faced with change, a problem, or an interpersonal conflict, most people react by becoming extremely resistant, rigid, and inflexible. There is a much better way to handle these difficult situations - practice the fine art of bending. Being flexible and adapting to tough situations, enables you to ride out such storms of life and even allow them to work for you.
Research indicates that only about 15% of a business person’s success can be attributed to job knowledge and technical skills. Fully 85% of success is determined by the ability to adapt readily to changing situations and deal expediently with people. These skills require enormous flexibility and adaptability – graceful bending.
In this rapidly changing world, old ways no longer work. Research and development make yesterday’s products and procedures outmoded today. To deal with change the most valuable quality you can develop is flexibility. Remaining open-minded and adaptable to new circumstances allows you to examine any situation for its opportunity or benefit.
High achievers are invariably those who remain calm and flexible in the midst of unexpected turbulence. They experience problems and setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow, not as horrible reasons to procrastinate or quit. They change plans to meet the need of the moment. They are able to generate alternate plans, think of solutions and not repeat mistakes.
Once you have a plan, it may be difficult to change it and “go with the flow”. Of course, it is true that success often requires perseverance and sticking to a plan. At the same time, inflexibility can intensify a problem which is interfering with your plan. When you remain flexible you can detour around an obstacle and still reach your desired destination.
There are countless examples of times when bad situations occur that are beyond your control, for example – something you anticipated doesn’t happen, someone doesn’t deliver on a promise, someone changes your plans without your consent, you make less money that you projected, etc. Some questions to ask at these times are:
What’s really important right now?
What is the worst that can happen?
What are the alternatives?
A plan certainly can help you manage your time; however a flexible plan will help manage your stress. Write your schedule in pencil rather than carve it in stone.
Just as you need to adapt to changing circumstances, it is vital to be flexible in conflicts with other people, especially partners. Learn to bend quickly and adapt with ease.
Rigidly sticking to your point of view and arguing endlessly usually comes from a need to be right all the time. Since everyone sees the world from their own perspective, there rarely are ultimate rights and wrongs in an argument. The key to having people consider your side is to show that you are an open-minded person with a genuine interest in their ideas. When you want someone to agree with you acknowledge their perspective, even if you don’t understand it. If you start where they are and begin working from that position they will become less rigid and you may reach accord. Rigid thinking on both sides will only lead to mutual defensiveness and escalation of disagreement.
Of course, there is a limit to how flexible you can be with your actions and interactions. You should never compromise on personal standards or principles. There is a great difference between flexible decision-making and practicing “situational” ethics. Just look at Martha Stewart and the executives from Enron.
Examine your ability to be flexible and adapt quickly to new situations and ideas. Consider that brittle steel can be shattered with a slight impact. When steel has been tempered it can withstand a mighty earthquake – it will bend easily and not break. If you need some tempering consider the following suggestions:
Be responsive to change rather than resistant.
Resolve to seek solutions rather than discord.
Positive thinking may give you power. Flexible thinking gives you even greater strength!
Great Partners are Flexible - To learn more about this author, visit Jean Charles's Website.
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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