Adaptive management is the mindset that course adjustments will have to be made farther down the road. It sets a clear vision and desired outcome, knowing that changes will have to be made in order to achieve the vision. In my brain, trained in environmental science and ecosystem theory, adaptive management always comes to mind as we collectively navigate back to school at the end of each summer.
It doesn’t matter whether you have children in school, our community changes with the start of classes. If you aren’t paying attention to the timing of that change (because it is an incremental one), you can be stuck in traffic on the interstate far from a school building. If I don’t leave room in my commute for school to change the traffic patterns, then I find myself stuck sitting still on the highway.
We use adaptive management all the time whether we know it or not. We modify our plans and adjust as things change. But how often do you create the opportunity for adjustments to be made in the future? Where in life do you have the expectation that once things are in motion you won’t have to change them?
A sailing crew expects to have to adjust course as the wind changes. A gardener knows that weeding and trimming will have to occur to have a healthy garden. Where in your life are you not using adaptive management? In a relationship? A job search? In working through a conflict with a co-worker or loved one? Where does adaptive management need to be built into your approach? Not having that mindset sometimes gets us stuck. – www.rhoadscoaching.com
finding meaning and purpose in daily life