When it’s Time to Adapt Rather than Persist
Persistence is one reason problems persist. More specifically, persisting in behaviors that don’t work, is one reason problems persist. Smart, motivated people, do this all the time.
Persistence has a dark side.
How long have you been frustrated with a boss, employee, process, or program? Congratulations for sticking with it. However…
Persistent frustration over the same problem means you’re persistently doing things that don’t work.
7 ways to adapt rather than persist:
- Congratulate yourself on having persistence, but give yourself permission to change strategies.
- Try something that feels wrong. You’ve already tried things that feel right. Did they work? Get advice from someone you trust. When a trusted adviser says something you want to dismiss, do that.
- Focus your energy on areas of greatest impact. Don’t get sucked into a black hole. If you can’t make a difference in one area, make a difference somewhere else.
- Remove roadblocks. If there is one person on the team who consistently blocks progress, remove them. Compassion is foolish when it allows pain that serves no purpose to persist.
- Let it go. Either accept or escape things that aren’t likely to change. It may feel like failure, but it’s wisdom.
- Work on yourself. Become the person you want others to be. How might the very qualities you want from a problem employee or boss be qualities that will take you far?
- Choose happiness. Unhappiness drains your energy. All the problems you face are opportunities to make a difference.
You’re smart, not a quitter, when you keep the same goal but adapt strategies that aren’t working.
When persistence might be a problem, ask:
- How might frustration be healthy? Distracting?
- What type of gains are acceptable?
- How are you changing or stuck as a person?
- Who might have a new perspective?
- What new person needs to join the battle?
How would you help someone see when it’s time to adapt rather than persist?
Dan,
The key is remembering you have choices, “the sky is the limit” so they say! Not everything is written in stone, seek guidance with others helps as you so recommend as well!
Thanks Tim. Good call. It’s easy, when frustrated, to forget we have choices.
Great post Sir. Enjoyed a lot. I am remember your this quote and used many times – “Don’t be victim of persistent adapt as you go”
Thanks lalitbhojwani. Keep on keeping on.
“Choose happiness…”
We also have to adapt in terms of our outlook and emotions. Sometimes obstacles force you to experiment, to look at things from a different angle and expand your mind. They can help forge relationships and create new collaborations. In the end, you learn about your own abilities and sometimes the results are even better than what you had originally planned.
Thanks Dr. Pinzon. I enjoy how you connect adapting to our own outlook. Sometimes leaders limit their thinking to having others change.
Good morning Dan;
Call it Persistence, or, ‘Stick-to-itivness’, although admirable can be a waste of presious time and effort. Being persistent is an excellant indicator of ‘good’ Character. But persistence thats left unchecked tends to do more harm than good. There are only 24 hours in a day. Leaders need to prioritise where they will spend their time, energy and effort. When we refuse to let go of an unresolved issue’s that seems to have no clear answer (WE GET FRUSTRATED AND STRESSED). When faced with challenging problems that require our attention, our expertise. By all means, “Full steam ahead.” BUT, when every attempt to resolve to problem ends in frustration, stress, and the occasional ‘Finger-pointing’, turn around & walkk the other way.
There’s nothing wrong with persistence when you know the problem can be fixed. However, when circumstances beyond our control make it imposable to solve the problem, LET IT GO… Your health, happiness, and peace of mind will thank you for it later!!!
Cheers Dan
SGT Steve
Thanks SGT. I find it hard to let things go. I remember Marshal Goldsmith saying something like, decide if you are willing to expend the energy necessary to make a positive difference, if not, let it go.
But, the question that comes before this is, “Is there reasonable confidence that we can actually make a positive difference?”
Great comment, SGT Steve. Bottom line, as you put it: “Your health, happiness, and peace of mind” are more valuable than any organization.
Dan, to answer your question, “How would you help someone see when it’s time to adapt rather than persist?”–I would ask them a few questions regarding their openness and readiness to change course. If they’re not ready, I would not try to help them. I’ve made that mistake before and it never works. As someone has said, people change for their own reasons and on their own time.
If I attempt to help someone change/adapt and it’s not working, and I keep doing that, I’m in the same pattern as the person I’m trying to help.
WIth that said, I understand your question wasn’t about helping someone to adapt who didn’t want to.
Thanks Alan. Sometimes our sincerity and compassion get in the way. We want to help too much. Your advice is important.
Dan, if the problem’s a subordinate you might (with difficulty) remove them. There will be a process. How do you get rid of a superior? You can’t put your boss on a disciplinary warning!
Hi Mitch. You can’t remove your superior, but you can remove yourself. Please don’t take my reply as flip. When we have a superior, “Either accept or escape things that aren’t likely to change,” has special application. As the research shows, people don’t leave companies they leave managers.
Wow, so maybe the best approach is that we teach future leaders that successful people “relentlessly adapt” in order to overcome?
Thinking of the Einstein quote: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
Keep persisting in your challenging blogs!
K
Thanks Ken. Love the expression, “relentless adapt.” Perhaps this is the place to think about the way a captain navigates a sailboat.
Another post that arrived on the Rockwall on just the right day. Number 3 resonates in particular. “Focus your energy on areas of greatest impact. ” Thanks, Dan.
Thanks Steven. I must confess that I allow the magnetism of frustrations to be the reason I neglect what I can’t control or change.
I believe Dan is right: Adaptability is an important adjunct to persistence. While I am strong believer that “persistence, willpower and grit” are the essential self-originating character energy of great leaders, I also believe short-term adaptability can often trump long-term persistence.
If you don’t already think I’m B-A-N-A-N-A-S by how I think and what I write, get ready. I used to believe everything my dad used to tell me when I was a kid. When I was about 5 or 6 years old, dad said we all have three voices in our head: The angelic one, the devil one, and the “consistent” one.
Our angel voice is all about the good, positive, optimistic, contributory, and the productive. This voice is present about 21.35% of the time. (How he came up with %, I’ll never know.)
Then there’s the devil voice saying, “You can’t do that! ‘Can’t believe we have to do this right now.” It’s yelling in our ear 35.4% of the time.
Finally, there’s our voice of consistency. It’s our voice saying, “Let’s get this job done.” It’s all matter-of-fact: “All right, here we go, time to get going. Nothing flashy. Just do what needs to get done.” This voice speaks to us 43.25% of the time.
Put Angel + Consistent voices together and we have 64.7% of the power of our physical and our brain’s capacity on the side of good and positive—enough to out-muscle the “other” voice and get whatever we want done–however we want to perform it. And we get things done.
There’s really no need to try to make every single thing we do perfect –whether it’s planning strategy, ground work, developing staff, creating a project, or reading a book–but show up consistently. Do your best. And forget the rest.
With respect to assisting others “see” (understand) the need for adaptability as an adjunct to but not as a replacement for persistence, I’d suggest assessing our inner voice.
Thanks Books. I’m smiling. I believe those percentages are just right. 🙂 I have to figure out how to use this in my next presentation!
I always thought we only had two voices in our heads…your comment explains a lot about the confusion I feel.
Thank you, Dan and Sgt. Steve, for your smile, approval and appreciation. Dan, what an honor it is for me to hear you say anything about my stuff in your presentation. And Sgt. Steve, I am extremely honored that you always read my comments and are so kind with your gratitude.
Hey Books;
May I say I am impreesed with your opinions and how well you articulate them.
I agree with Dan those percentage’s sound all too familiar to me.
This has me thinking of begining a ‘New-Habit’. I’m starting each day by applying the
(4 t0 1 Rule). The 4 to 1 rule suggest we start, (and finish), each day consciencely
remembering to communicate in a ‘positive manner’ four time’s for every 1 negative
statement we make. I’ll bet if we all tried this we’d find the true meaning behind the
“Power 0f Positivity!”
(KEEP ON KEEPIN ON BOOKS, GOOD STUFF!)
SGT Steve
Sergeant Steve: Do you realize you have a beautiful mind? Do you realize that–unlike many others–YOUR thoughts are positive, optimistic, kind, courteous, and good? And do you know YOU do not need rules, laws, signs, or instructions to think or act in a positive manner? This NEW HABIT you’re suggesting (the 4 to 1 Rule) is innate to you…something perhaps YOU were born with…like a birthright of HIGH CONSIDERATION–acts of kindness, goodness, common courtesy and common decency. Perhaps you’re “projecting” that the entire world of people should have it. And you would be right: Ask decent people what they think matters most in human conduct and they’ll answer “kindness,” if reminded. As much as America and the world needs a prosperous economy, we also need a “prosperity of kindness and decency.” Yet YOU, Sgt. Steve, are still wondering if you can be better or you’re doing enough. You’re a leader…by example.
Yes, as often, a quote from Albert Einstein come to my mind: “Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different outcome.” So very, very true when we think about behavior…
Love your list of ways to adapt – as with all your lists!!! I’m really intrigued with #2: Try something that feels wrong. Often our ‘feelings’ are based upon habits which develop over a period of time and thus are in need of review at the very least.
In working with my students, I always suggest to them: When you find yourself stuck, spinning your wheels dealing with a situation, STOP everything in terms of trying to deal with the situation. Instead, concentrate on figuring out what the hurdle or speed-bump is that’s preventing you from making progress. “If I only knew what the diameter of the widget is…” Or “I really need to know what the chief skills of the local workforce is …” For me, once I’ve figured out the hurdle, the way forward is quite clear or, at least, I can make an assumption (with an estimate of confidence in it) and move forward.
This statement is my favourite part:
‘Try something that feels wrong. You’ve already tried things that feel right. Did they work? Get advice from someone you trust. When a trusted adviser says something you want to dismiss, do that’.
A trusted advisor (actually most people) can see things about us that we are oblivious to, as the Johari window demonstrates, so often their suggestions, even though they may not feel right, are the perfect solution to our issue.
Thanks for this post Dan.