Flexibility May Be Your Biggest Asset
February 10th, 2010
I have been trying to figure out what to blog about next so I read through some private journals I’ve been writing over the last few years. One thought keeps surfacing: Be flexible. This lesson applies to Business, Ministry, and Life. It is true that increased flexibility promotes health on a physical level. When you stretch your body, you increase your circulation, allowing more precious blood and oxygen to reach your muscles and brain. Working on your natural flexibility leads to clearer thinking, easier movement of your limbs, and increased energy levels. Some fitness experts even say flexibity can positively impact your strength level. I yield to you that being flexible in business, and life will lead to a smarter, faster, and stronger YOU! Flexibity may look different depending in which area you are trying to adapt, but the results should be equally rewarding.
So if you’re reading this, remember the following two points:
1) Nothing goes your way ALL the time. A mentor once told me there will always be trial and error in life. The least we can do is try to minimize the error. Great advice…if you accept the fact that there will be errors. I think people who rebound the best are those who anticipate problems before they occur and try to tweak their strategy to avoid maximum failure. How about that: flexibilty in the planning phase and during implementation.
2) Refusal to change can mean wasted time and opportunity. Roadblocks, and failures can provide great moments of reflection and become launching pads for success. The energy it takes to remain angry and dissatisfied over an outcome, can be used to fine tune strategy and shift direction.
In conclusion, flexibility has proven to be a huge asset for me. Over the past year, I have realized that half the goals I wrote down a year ago, do not even apply to my current situation…things have changed! My company has seen personell changes, unexpected financial crisis, and we are currently moving from one office space to the next. Personally, my family dynamics have changed dramatically, and my music ministry is moving in some unexpected, albeit postive, directions. Furthermore, the state of our nation’s economy is impacting the way everyone is living and working. In the midst of all this, 4:12 Productions is forging fresh relationships, developing new products, expanding our online activity, and improving our work systems. I attribute this steady momentum to, among other things, our ability to remain flexible. If you’re looking for a great book about flexibility, I suggest Who Moved My Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson.
This blog was written by Stanley Porter, President of 4:12 Productions and award nominated writer/composer of three urban gospel albums. To find out more on Stanley Porter visit www.stanleyporter.net
3 Comments Add your own
1. Stanley Porter | February 22nd, 2010 at 10:46 pm
A business student asked me a questions about this blog post a few days ago. He asked: “What’s the best way to ensure flexibility & open-mindedness doesn’t get confused with unfocused and indecisive?”
This was my response:
Hi Joshua,
Let’s assume you’re referring to a leader and the team following his/her lead. This scenario has more to do with people’s perception than with understanding the true nature of flexibility. Two things come to mind.
1) Develop a corporate vision of success. Determine what progress is and have your team or clients agree with the definition. Sometimes our picture of success is very different from the expectations of the people we work with. Suppose you say: “Let’s agree that perfection means we hit all objectives on time. A great job might be we hit 8/10 goals whereas 6/10 goals means we’re making some progress, but we’ve got more work to do.” It would be hard for anyone to accuse you of a lack of focus in this scenario. In developing corporate vision you involve people in your process. Often when our process is a mystery, people who are part of our team feel lost and will often criticize our results.
2) Celebrate flexibility. If you have been flexible, let people know it! Just do it strategically. Point out the benefits of embracing flexibility in your approach. Paint a picture of where the team was headed. Then demonstrate how flexibility had a positive impact on the PEOPLE involved. Motivated people produce great results. Explain specifically how you were able to try someone else’s suggestions, or extend a deadline out of compassion. I would go even further to point out how flexibility has allowed you to be a better PERFORMER or LEADER of the task at hand. If your flexibility is seen as empowering people, it has a better chance of being accepted. Here it is difficult to perceive you as indecisive. You’re the guy who moves with purpose.
In conclusion, I have found that this works 8 times out of ten. There are those people who need professional development and more maturity before they can accept any of this. These types can be very inflexible in the short term. If you absolutely have to work with or deal with them…remain flexible!
2. zynga | March 20th, 2010 at 10:16 am
i wouldn’t have imagined this was cool some years ago then again it is surprising just how years changes the manner by which you see interesting creative concepts, thank you with regard to the article it really is pleasurable to browse something intelligent occasionally in lieu of the common crap mascarading as blogs and forums on the web, i’m off to take up a few rounds of facebook poker, cheers
3. Deloera Call | May 30th, 2010 at 11:28 am
Great writing style, hope to read some more of your posts.
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