The R.U.T.A. Report: The Adaptability Habit

Do you have “The Adaptability Habit”? Are you an advisor who takes advantages of changes in the business and does better?

The R.U.T.A. Report: The Adaptability Habit
Do you have “The Adaptability Habit”? Are you an advisor who takes advantages of changes in the business and does better? Or, are you an advisor who constantly fights reality and is always under pressure?

The difference is “The Adaptability Habit”. When you combine the wisdom of the late insurance industry great, Alfred E.N. Gray (of “The Common Denominator of Success” fame) and the insight of Charles Darwin, you get The Adaptability Habit. Here’s how.

Gray said that successful people learn to do by habit what unsuccessful people won’t do by nature. Many years earlier, Darwin observed that it wasn’t the strongest or the smartest who survived and prospered, it was those who could best manage change.  

I see the combination idea at work every day with top advisors worldwide. The best, most successful advisors are those who make a habit of taking advantage of change and thrive because of it.  They make adaptability a habit. It’s one of my “Principles of High Performance” – Make reality work for you or it will definitely work against you.

There will always be challenges in the business.  That is a given. What is a choice is your ability to adapt to them, by learned habit.

The point is that you need to be coachable, whether your own or with appropriate help.  Learn what you need to know about adapting and make it happen. If you are stubborn and set in your ways, you will be doomed to chasing results rather than having them chase you. You will fight for your results all the time and your business will get harder, not easier as you get more experience.  That’s the opposite of what should happen.  You want to be learning from your experience. Think about the changing needs of your marketplace and then change your business to do what THEY want done.

This is how you will thrive today – adapting by habit.  Look for new technology to help you increase your visibility and service levels and then use it. Be happy if you find that change is uncomfortable because that’s how you know you are making a worthwhile change to your business. Embrace the discomfort as a way to an easier business.  

Stick with the tried and true when it helps.  But, evolve with the necessary changes in today’s business. Get The Adaptability Habit and you’ll be a better advisor forever.

The RUTA Report – Real Usable Tactical Advice – is provided exclusively to the Canadian Life e-newsletter each week by veteran financial industry consultant, speaker, writer and media commentator Jim Ruta. Starting at age 22, he led one of Canada’s largest insurance agencies by age 40. Jim has been featured around the world including the MDRT Main Platform and has several best-selling books to his credit. He is Managing Partner of Boston-based InforcePRO Software, a unique automatic presentation from existing policies system.

 

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