James Barrett’s Post

As we settle into the new year, I'm thinking about my priorities for the year ahead, part of my reflection is always inwards on myself and how I can continually grow and develop as a leader, I came across this article which resonated with me. The statistics are eye-opening: only 23% of employees feel equipped to handle both resilience AND adaptability in today's ever changing business environment. Yet those who master both are 3.8x more likely to demonstrate innovative behaviors at work. This McKinsey article highlights how 21st-century leaders need to develop these "twin" capabilities - not just for themselves, but across the entire organization. The Stephen Curry (Basketball legend) example highlights this: "Sometimes you need resilience (keep shooting those threes despite missing), and sometimes you need adaptability (completely changing your game when the rules change). The real skill is knowing when to pivot and which approach to use when. Four key takeaways for leaders that stuck with me to prioritise: ⭐ Set a North Star that gives your team stability amid change ⭐ Build psychological safety build a "true community" ⭐ Model both resilience and adaptability yourself ⭐ Encourage team-based learning (its more effective) The closing thought struck me: When electricity replaced steam power, it took 30 years for companies to adapt and see productivity gains. In today's world, we don't have that kind of time. I'd love understand what strategies you have found effective for building resilience and adaptability in your teams? #Leadership #OrganizationalChange #Innovation #FutureOfWork #Team #Community

In today's fast-paced world, organizations face constant shifts in technology, markets, and work dynamics. Building resilience and adaptability within the workforce is essential. One key takeaway from this insightful McKinsey article is the power of communities to drive these qualities. When employees connect through shared goals, support networks, and collaborative learning, they can navigate uncertainty with confidence and agility. By fostering strong communities, we create environments where individuals and teams thrive, transforming challenges into opportunities for growth. How is your organization building community to tackle rapid change? Read the article here #Resilience #Adaptability #Leadership

In 2025, I will be highlighting topics & articles that connect core leadership principles with the dynamics of a rapidly changing world. This article below touches on topics from my Leadership Fellows Program: Adaptability, Trust (building from psychological safety), and a Compass/ North Star. I always welcome you thoughts and feedback - Evan --------------------------------------------- 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 A key task for 21st-century leaders is to develop their own capacity for change while also fostering resilience and adaptability in others across the organization. • 𝘚𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. • 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦. • 𝘌𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. • 𝘌𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘴.. Leaders must build workplace conditions that allow individuals and teams to become more resilient and adaptable, and they must integrate these skills with their business strategies. Leaders—and, frankly, the world—can’t afford to take another three decades to figure out how to integrate and adapt when the next big game changer in business emerges. Segal Ventures, The Segal Family Foundation, Jory Segal, Ariel Segal Eck, Marla Werner, Leadership Fellows, Brian Ruder, Stanford University Graduate School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University - Tepper School of Business https://lnkd.in/gmbFHuQB

Achieving #resilience and #adaptability at individual and organizational levels is easier said than done, however. #Human beings have a natural affinity for order, #predictability, and #control. They will do everything they can to avoid chaos, uncertainty, and volatility. McKinsey & Company research shows that when the path forward is unclear, and time and performance pressures are the same (or increasing), teams and individuals often default to what they already know—regardless of whether that approach is appropriate for the given situation. Read more in the recent #mckinsey article how to develop own capacity for #change while also fostering #resilience and #adaptability https://lnkd.in/d_5ut8qt #aq #organisationchange #orgstructure #team #business #businessstrategy #talent #talentmanagement #leadership #mindset

🌟 Resilience. Adaptability. Future-Ready. 🌟 In an era defined by uncertainty, building a workforce that's not just skilled but resilient and adaptable is the ultimate competitive advantage. McKinsey's latest article, "Developing a Resilient, Adaptable Workforce for an Uncertain Future," brilliantly highlights the strategies leaders can adopt to future-proof their teams. 💡 As leaders, we must embrace change, foster continuous learning, and empower our people to navigate complexity with confidence. 🚀💪 The future of work isn’t about avoiding uncertainty—it’s about thriving in it. 🗣 What steps are you taking to ensure your teams are prepared for the challenges ahead? Let’s exchange insights and ideas! #Leadership #FutureOfWork #Resilience #Adaptability #GrowthMindset #Kuwait

In my exploration of the future of work, sustainable development, and global engagement, I came across an insightful article from McKinsey & Company. 📌 https://lnkd.in/erUVbTYc It highlights how leaders can encourage, and model, the adaptability and resilience essential for thriving in an ever-changing world. From their research and experience working with senior leaders across industries and geographies, they have identified four actions that leaders can take to navigate even the most extreme periods of volatility: 👉 Set a compass or North Star to help people move in a common direction 👉 Build a psychologically safe community, not just a workforce 👉 Lead by example, demonstrating resilience and adaptability 👉 Encourage employees to learn and build these skills in groups My observations have been - it takes a lot of discernment and intuition to determine when to pivot and when to stay the course, especially as the pace of change continues to accelerate. For those of you who are leaders, or who support leaders, is this complete? What else might you add?

Resilience and adaptability. In this time of perpetual change, I can't think of a better, more universal message. "To be resilient and adaptable, leaders and employees need a mix of skills. Resilience requires—among other things—the ability to view change as a challenge or an opportunity to bounce forward, regulate thoughts and emotions, take lessons from prior experiences, and execute on change. Adaptability requires, among other things, the ability to approach uncertainty with an open, learning mindset and to think flexibly and creatively about problems as they arise. When leaders and employees have both sets of skills, they can (like Steph Curry) better discern when a focus on resilience will be enough, when an adaptive response is required, and how to integrate the two into their strategies, operations, and decision making." #changemanagement #people #leadership #mentoring #psychologicalsafety

CEOs can often be considered their organization’s “Chief Calibration Officer”, ultimately responsible for judging whether a company is moving fast enough and strongly enough to address change.    CEOs and 21st century leaders must be able to continuously recalibrate and adapt their strategies to thrive in today’s modern world. They must foster high levels of grit, resilience, and adaptability across the organization for their teams to move with speed and purpose.    In their latest article, my colleagues Dana Maor, Aaron De Smet, Jacqui Brassey, PhD, MA, MAfN 🎗️ (née Schouten) and Sheida Rabipour, PhD provide a blueprint for leaders to navigate change effectively and build a resilient culture. 

Uncertainty seems to be the only certainty in today’s business world. Developing resilience and adaptability in your workforce isn’t just a leadership challenge—it's a strategic priority. McKinsey’s insightful article on workforce adaptation outlines how businesses can prepare for ongoing disruption with strategies that foster innovation, engagement, and agility. 📌 Read the full article from McKinsey & Company here: https://brev.is/tPZ2B Link to third-party publisher, content not guaranteed. Key insights include: 💡 Fostering a psychologically safe environment to encourage new ideas and bold solutions 💡 Developing leaders who model adaptability and resilience 💡 Creating shared goals (a “North Star”) that drive alignment during times of change 💡 Encouraging collaborative learning to accelerate workforce agility At Peoples Bank, we understand that equipping your team for change often requires the right support systems. Whether it’s financial solutions for workforce development, cash flow management during uncertain times, or strategic financial advice tailored to your goals, we’re here to help you stay resilient and adaptable in 2025 and beyond. #CommunityBanking #BeExceptional

"It’s unprecedented. To successfully move their business strategies forward in this environment, 21st-century leaders need an engaged and innovative workforce that can change course quickly, effectively, and fluidly. Employees must be open to developing new capabilities, adopting new norms, and reconsidering long-held mindsets and behaviours. Leaders must be willing to do the same."