How to successfully adapt to change?
There is nothing more constant than change. Anyone who opposes changes or ignores them usually fails. Success accompanies the one who can foresee the approach of change in advance and get ahead of time.
A fairly common example: for years there has been a store or office of a company on your street. One day you notice that the premise is empty, and there is a “Closed” sign on the door. And after a couple of days, a new company that offers popular goods or services at more affordable and favorable prices is set up there.
Why is this happening? Most often, business goes bankrupt due to the inability to follow the tenth guideline from the Aristippus’ Code.
Guideline X — ADAPTIVITY
Be flexible and able to change in response to new life circumstances.
Part 1
THE THEORY OF ADAPTABILITY
According to Darwin’s theory, only the strongest survives. If we speak about a human life, then only a person who can adapt to the changing conditions of the external environment is able to survive in any conditions and overcome the difficult situation effortlessly. This is the ability to adapt to changes and to benefit from them. It is important to be flexible and be ready to change, if circumstances require it.
Law of survival and prosperity
A person can use all the means at his/her disposal: knowledge, experience and characteristic qualities to adapt to life changes. He/she must understand the essence of things and assess the problem correctly, be able to find the most important details that have a strong influence on the situation. Such a person must clearly understand the goals that he/she wants to achieve, and what will happen in the result.
When interacting with other people, it is necessary to try to minimize conflicts, to provide emotional and informational support to those who have a harder time adapting to changes.
People can move forward with determination and act productively only when they have formed a social, cultural and emotional understanding of the processes that happen around.
Adaptation in society
Being in the society, we must follow its legal and moral-ethical laws. If a person cannot adapt to them and accept changes that occur under the influence of external factors, he/she can become an outcast. The right decision — to start changing a behavioral pattern for optimal adaptivity to each specific situation by using internal resources. In such a way, a person learns how to be flexible and tries to adapt to changes.
The surroundings will notice the changes that have occurred and will no longer perceive that person as a threat to the effective achievement of common goals.
Even under the influence of change, a person remains a whole human being thanks to adaptivity. He/she behaves in such a way to ensure security and independence. Adaptivity helps transform the world based on personal needs.
Adaptability includes the ability to be independent in one’s thoughts and actions, flexible to life changes and able to act effectively in changing conditions.
Part 2
FLEXIBILITY LESSONS FOR BUSINESS
For a successful business, human behavior must correspond to the emotional, informational and cultural level of the environment. It is necessary to strive for balance and equilibrium in relationships with the partners in business, to be able to accept the current situation and new circumstances.
The entrepreneur must be constantly aware of all trends and promising developments in the field of employment. It is important to know what your clients need today, but it is equally important to foresee what they will need tomorrow.
Next, we will give examples of how the observance or non-observance of the tenth guideline of Aristippus affected the fate of various companies.
Stuck in the past
Kodak
The American company, founded in 1881, became a pioneer in the production of cameras and photo printing materials. In 2000, 72% of Kodak’s revenue came from selling photographic film.
At the dawn of the 21st century, digital cameras became available to the mass consumer, and the demand for photographic film fell sharply. Kodak hastily launched the production of digital cameras, but time was lost, and competitors outperformed them. In 2009, the company stopped producing its famous photographic film and declared bankruptcy by 2012.
General Motors
For 77 years, General Motors had been the largest car manufacturer in the world. The company, which history spans more than a century, had grown at a tremendous pace, building factories around the world and buying up foreign brands.
While striving for the expansion, the management of General Motors had forgotten about improving the quality of its products. Buyers were increasingly choosing more advanced and comfortable cars of competitors.
By 2009, the financial situation of General Motors was critical, and only the US government assistance saved the company from total collapse. General Motors went through bankruptcy proceedings, after which the company underwent a restructuring and returned to the market. However, the top position on the market was lost forever.
Ahead of their time
Walgreens
When faced with increased competition, Walgreens, a US pharmacy chain, started to rely on online technology. The company created computer programs and mobile applications that facilitated communication with pharmacists and the purchase of medicines.
Innovations attracted many new customers. Walgreens pharmacies turned into supermarkets, where in addition to medicines one could buy a wide range of other products. Today Walgreens is the largest pharmacy chain in the United States.
Apple
Apple Inc. is a vivid symbol of modernity, a trendsetter in the world of high technology. The secret of the company’s success lies in the desire to get ahead of time and create the future on its own. Every new Apple product, whether it’s an iPod audio player or an iPhone smartphone, is a technical breakthrough that revolutionizes the global market.
The company’s philosophy is clearly reflected in the slogan “Think different”, which was used by Apple in the late 1990s. This concept means to think outside the box and look at things differently.
The given examples clearly demonstrate that achieving success is impossible without risk, innovation and unorthodox thinking. In the world of business, it is necessary to constantly move forward and find new ways for development. Therefore, even after millennia, the words of Aristippus remain relevant: “Be flexible and able to change in response to new life circumstances.”
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