The Flexibility Factor
My daughter loves to eat octopus. It’s not a typical “favorite” food for a seven-year-old, but it’s something she has to order any time we see it on a menu. And since we’ve been down in Mexico doing R&D for the MIBE executive retreat, we’ve been eating a lot of octopus!
Did you know that the octopus is one of the most flexible animals in the world?. The lack of a skeleton in their arms, gives them the ability to twist, bend and even change in thickness and in length. They are able to squeeze into incredibly tight spaces - this video shows a 600 pound octopus squeezing through a hole the size of a quarter! Flexibility is a vital attribute in the animal kingdom, enabling animals to adapt, escape danger, and thrive in their environments. This week’s leadership message is inspired by our eight-limbed ocean friends.
A Land O’ Lakes dairy plant in Minnesota garnered attention earlier this year when they introduced flexible scheduling. This was a foreign concept for the manufacturing industry, which has typically prided itself on routine and rigidity. Previously the 24/7 factory offered two shifts: 5am to 5pm or 5pm to 5am. When they found themselves struggling to fill open positions - at one point they had 26 open full time positions without a single application, they had to try something different. To attract a new pool of candidates, they posted an ad for part time work with flexible schedules essentially allowing employees to choose their own start time and shift length. The ad drew over 100 applications and now flex work is a mainstay within their organization.
It’s easy to get trapped into a way of doing things that has served us for many years, but this story is a great reminder of author Marshall Goldsmith’s phrase; “What got you here, won’t get you there.” Just because something worked in the past, does not mean it will continue to be the best solution in the future. Great leaders are constantly evaluating how they operate to see if their processes and methods are still serving them. They account for advances in technology that make work more efficient. They study generational shifts and adapt their practices to attract new employees. And they are keenly aware of societal changes that impact the products they sell and the strategy they need to implement to be successful in the future.
I challenge you to think about how you can be more flexible in your life. The rate of change around us continues to increase at exponential levels. A recent survey of executives suggested that half of the skills that exist in today’s workforce, won’t be relevant in two years. With the proliferation of AI, groundbreaking discoveries that reframe how we view the world, and the prevalence of hybrid and remote work there are plenty of examples of this taking place before our eyes. At MIBE we believe that there is always more to learn and room to improve. In addition to a growth mindset and a commitment to learning new skills, leaders must also be flexible like our octo ocean friends if they are going to adapt to the challenges of our evolving environment.
What has eight arms and can adapt well to changing environments? Four of your employees after attending the workshop!
Join us at our upcoming Heart Leadership Workshop August 5-6th. Flexibility is on the menu for our two-limbed land based leaders.
