Today’s quote comes to you from our dear friend and mentor, John Maxwell – and, more specifically, one of his newer books – Leadershift!

Now, neither us nor John Maxwell is saying you need to get OUT THERE and adapt (please, stay inside peeps!) – but instead we are thinking about all we can do inside to adapt and (as J.M. would say) leadershift!

John tells us that the difference between people who conform and people who adapt in the face of uncertainty is that one pulls away and the other leans in. People often pull away because we see others doing the same, and it feels like the safer option is to resort back to the comfort of what we already know. But, when we retreat to what we already know, we miss out on the opportunity to GROW, and arise from the uncertainty on top, and in full bloom.

Because, the people that do grow – are the people that step up, and the people that shift. They lean in to uncertainty, and deal with it HEAD ON. True leadershift depends on the person taking uncomfortable action, acting in uncertain territory, being unsure of what the outcome is going to be and YET bringing confidence to it with that head on approach – and really saying, “I don’t know the answers. But I KNOW I’ll find them.”

And, for those who don’t grow through what they go through? That story is as old as time, and results in being left behind. In business and in life, it can truly be – adapt or die.

Blockbuster fails to adapt to the rise of digital media = Netflix takeover.

You’ve seen the headlines. You know the story.

We’ve seen a new world of heightened security measures for travel after the tragedy of 9/11. We’ve seen countless businesses adapt to meet new levels of technology after the technological revolution. And, we’ve also seen those who have not, and have become somewhat archaic as a result…

Because, the one thing that IS CERTAIN?!…is change. We can’t run from it. We can’t hide from it. And we can’t quarantine from it. It will come in big waves and it will come in little waves…and we were just hit by a full on Tsunami of it.

While nobody knows what “normal” will even look like when this is all over – something we do know is: adaptable leaders who have been able to make leadershifts during this time of uncertainty are going to be the ones that come out on top when the dust settles and the new paradigm takes over… And, it will be those same people that were adapting along the way (not those who waited for the dust to settle and then adapted) – who will really have the advantage. Because, as things continue to change and move forward exponentially, we DO NOT KNOW what the future will hold. But, we will fight like hell to adapt to it, because – if we don’t – we just might get left in the dust.

And WHO wants to get left in the dust when we also have the opportunity to set it up as our soil, plant ourselves smack dab in the middle of it, and watch as we break through the surface and BLOOM!

Want to leadershift your learning style, and try something new for a change? Listen to the podcast version of today’s episode right here!