In this blog post:
Ever been thrown into a role you didn’t feel ready for? These are the moments when flexible thinking becomes your greatest asset—not IQ, not experience, just your ability to adapt.
“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.” —Stephen Hawking
Have you ever been thrown into a role or assignment that you weren’t qualified for?
The first instinct is to say no. I can’t do this. I’m not ready!
But wait a moment.
What does it mean to be qualified?
It has little to do with your resume, your grades, or your IQ. The best leaders aren’t always the smartest, or even the most skilled.
They’re the people who can adapt to new environments, learn quickly, and apply critical thinking skills in any situation.
Adaptability Is Your Biggest Asset
One day, back when I worked as a Wall Street credit analyst, my manager asked me to analyze a lending opportunity for a utility company. I was immediately flooded with fear, doubt and DREAD.
I had just started my job there and had no idea what I was doing. I already felt under qualified to be working in a Wall Street bank, and now I was being asked to do something outside my comfort zone.
In my head, I could only see myself failing.
I didn’t even consider that my manager gave me the assignment because he saw potential in me. No, no, no. That couldn’t be.
But I summoned the courage to complete the assignment. I analyzed the balance sheet and P&L, created cash flow projections, and showed up in the Credit Committee conference room ready to present the deal, shoulder pads and bow tie firmly in place.
Was it my best presentation?
No.
It was rough. There were questions I couldn’t answer. There were blind spots I’d never considered.
But guess what?
The deal was approved.
Not because I was qualified.
Not because I was the smartest in the room.
But because I rose to the challenge, studied what I needed to know, and put my problem-solving skills to work.
Developing a Flexible Brain
Leaders, your biggest asset is not your smarts or skills. It’s your ability to harness neuroplasticity: your brain’s capacity to adapt, grow, and be flexible to change.
Neuroplasticity
“The brain’s ability to change and reorganize itself in response to new experiences. This can involve the formation of new neural connections, the strengthening of existing ones and the weakening or elimination of unused ones.” —Anna Tan, Forbes Coaches Council
Every time you step up to the challenge of something you don’t feel ‘qualified’ to do, it strengthens the neural connections in your prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain used for problem-solving.
What’s more, you can consciously direct this process.
For example, when I’m presented with a challenge, my approach is to lean into listening and curiosity. I also move my body when I start to feel frazzled, so I can stay fresh and engaged. Since the brain uses an astonishing 20% of the body’s oxygen, some movement to get your blood pumping faster can provide a mental second wind.
More often than not, these practices help me start the process of untangling the problem and formulating a solution.
But the most important thing?
It’s to always anchor yourself in fact, not fiction. If your mind jumps to the “what ifs,” pause and stay grounded in the present. Imagining worst case scenarios will only trigger a panicked fight/flight response.
As you regularly challenge yourself with new problems, you will start to develop your own process for approaching them.
Each time, you’ll train your brain to be more flexible.
And at some point, your thought process will start to move from “I can’t do this. I’m not ready!” to “Let me figure out how to do this.”
That’s the power of neuroplasticity in action.
