“When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves.”-Viktor Frankl

Being willing and able to adapt to changing surroundings is, in my opinion, one of the most important parts of leadership.We are constantly working with new people in new environments and must be able to adjust to various learning styles in order to be successful in our leadership.

Adaptability is one of my greatest strengths and has proven to be a very valuable skill of mine. Being able to reframe mindsets and find the growth or learning opportunity in a seemingly negative situation has allowed me to succeed in some of the most difficult times of my leadership experience.

I have found that not being too attached to my original ideas of how things will go helps me with this, and a lack of extreme expectations allows me to react to change with a positive and progressive attitude. Thinking creatively goes hand in hand with adaptability because changing plans on a moment’s notice requires the ability to come up with a creative alternative.

“Trust the Process.” When things are not going as planned, trusting the process allows for growth and fluidity in decision-making. Everything happens for a reason and if something goes wrong, it opens the door for something new and potentially better to occur. I have seen this mentality work well in a team, as I am able to keep calm and think rationally in the face of a challenge, therefore inspiring others to act the same way.

In spring 2015, I applied to multiple different internships through two Student Affairs internship programs. I had been looking forward to a summer working at a new university and engaging in some deep student affairs work for about a year or so, and I was deeply discouraged when I did not receive any of them at the outset. Continually receiving rejection letters made me feel that there was no opportunity for me to succeed in this endeavor. However, upon receiving my final rejection notice, I decided to pick myself up and look for new opportunities. Reframing my mindset and looking for positions that tied to Student Affairs in a unique way inspired me to apply for Summer Discovery, a pre-college program for High School students at various universities in the country. I ended up having an outstanding summer at the University of Pennsylvania working with a group of law students as they completed a 4-week pre-college program.

Adaptability and creativity can also come in unexpected learning opportunities that throw us into new experiences. In April 2014, I was asked to be a Resident Advisor for a first year, all male, engineering Living Learning Community for the final month of school. It was an opportunity I hardly expected to come my way, and I knew that adaptability was going to be a key part of succeeding in the position. I took on a learning mindset upon joining the floor by working to understand the boys’ community and learn what they expected from a Resident Advisor. Being able to go in with my values and expectations, along with a willingness to learn their expectations, allowed me to build a strong community within just a few weeks of being there. That experience taught me a significant lesson in being able to adapt to new opportunities and looking at them with a learning mindset.

I find creativity to be an extremely important part of leadership and use my creative abilities each and every day. Looking at the world through the lens of adaptability allows me to see endless opportunities in any one situation.